Home Again
by Alyssa Belle
Summary: This is a one-shot format story, told from the perspective of various Fablehaven characters, telling us, the readers, about all the moments before, during and after the events of the books that we never got see. Story is non-compliant with Dragonwatch, and of course, I do not claim to own any of these characters, only the ideas for the one-shots! Inspired by feministkendra!
1. Muriel Taggert

**Well, let`s see how this goes!**

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Warren had never really considered how his younger cousins had discovered the world of Fablehaven. The conversation had never really come up, and either way he had just kind of figured that Stan had told them at some point in time. But, one afternoon as he, Tanu, Vanessa, Kendra and Seth walked along the wide road that led to the site of the Old Forbidden Chapel and Seth was talking excitedly to Tanu about the mission he, Kendra and Bracken had returned from only a few days ago.

"Hey, that`s where we kicked Muriel Taggert`s butt!" Seth called, pointing at the mound of flowers and plants in the distance that used to be the forbidden chapel. Whenever Warren had come to Fablehaven, the Forbidden Chapel had always been a staple in the view from the roof of his cabin

"Who's Muriel Taggert?" Tanu asked curiously. From the other side of Warren, Kendra smirked at her brother.

"Yeah Seth, who is she?" She teased. Seth frowned at his sister, pressing his lips together stubbornly.

Kendra laughed at him, turning her attention to the rest of the group, "Muriel Taggert was a witch that was bound to Fablehaven. She ended up escaping and tried to free Bahumant." She clarified.

"Bahumant? The demon?" Warren asked. He of course, knew that Bahumant was bound to Fablehaven, but the demon was never really talked about, given that there was always the general impression that it was a painful topic.

Kendra nodded, "Yeah he's bound right under there actually, in the old basement of the chapel."

Vanessa brows furrowed slightly, "And this witch tried to free the demon?" Warren knew that Vanessa`s knowledge of Fablehaven was extensive, given that she had to learn everything she could about the preserve in order to take control of it, but apparently, she didn't know the story either.

Kendra gave a slight smile, "Mm hmm. She used to be the wife of a caretaker but after she got involved in dark magic, she was bound to a shack in the woods by a rope that held 13 magic knots."

"How did she get free?" Tanu inquired.

At the question Kendra breathed out a laugh. "Well, when Seth and I got to Fablehaven, there were only two knots left in place. The knots could be undone by a mortal in exchange for a favor. We used one of the knots on Seth and the other on Grandma, which ended up freeing her."

"On Seth?" Vanessa put in, apparently now invested in the conversation.

Kendra smiled mischievously at them, and called ahead to her brother, "Seth, remind me, how did Muriel's first knot get undone?"

Seth groaned at her, turning around and sticking his tongue out at her.

"Well," Kendra began still smiling, "Seth captured a fairy and accidently turned the fairy into an imp, so as retribution, the fairies turned Seth into a-" she managed to stifle her laughter, "A walrus." She finished through her laughter.

"A walrus?" Warren repeated loudly, stopping in his tracks and staring at Kendra.

Kendra burst into peals of laughter that began to take over all of them. Eventually they all sobered enough to continue and when they did, Kendra continued her story.

"And well after that, Midsummer's Eve happened and the house was destroyed." Warren noticed that Kendra was rushing through this part of the story, perhaps the spare Seth the shame of his past mistakes that only a few, including Warren himself were privy to. Warren noticed Vanessa looking at Kendra strangely, but luckily decided to say nothing.

"After that, we found out that Grandma had actually been turned into a chicken, so Seth and I used the last knot to transform her back into human form." Kendra informed them as they got closer to the site of the Forbidden Chapel.

"And then we went to see Nero!" Seth jumped in, having apparently gotten over his bashfulness.

"Right," she replied, nodding at Seth,

"Muriel had actually been orchestrating the capture of the house from behind the scenes, so we had to figure out where she had taken Grandpa and Lena."

"And Nero helped you?" Vanessa asked, arching one of her brows at her.

Kendra exchanged a glance with Seth, "Well yeah, we didn't have much to give, so we gave him a massage."

Everyone looked mildly alarmed, Warren included, except for Seth who, obviously had experienced it.

Seth grinned at them, "Yup. And then, Grandma told us all about Zzyxx, in case we didn't live through the rescue."

Kendra elbowed Seth, "Don't sound so happy about it." She cleared her throat, "Anyway, we went to the chapel and tried to rescue Grandpa and Lena, but Seth and Grandma got captured.

"You didn't?" Warren asked, surprised.

Kendra pouted at him, "Don't sound so shocked about it. But yeah, I hadn't broken the treaty, so no one could hurt me. I escaped and went to the Fairy Queen for help." She paused for a moment, considering. "That was actually how I became fairykind."

"Wait, so why didn't you escape Fablehaven when you could?" Tanu inserted.

Kendra shrugged, "Who would come back to help them if I didn`t? It's not like anyone would actually believe me if I told them the truth, so I took a chance and hoped it would turn out alright."

"And it did!" Seth said brightly.

Kendra smiled, "I rowed across the pond and asked the queen for help. No thanks to the naiads of course."

"What happened next?" Warren asked curiously.

"She told me to collect blood, tears, and milk and create a concoction that would transform the fairies," She grimaced, "And then I was attacked by Mendigo, but luckily for me, he fell into the pond. Then, I made the blood, tears, milk mixture got the fairies to try it." She gave a sheepish smile, "I had to try it first though, so the fairies would." She laughed out loud, "Actually, if they hadn't made me fairykind I would have died. Turns out the concoction is deadly to mortals."

"And then the fairy army saved us, trapped Muriel and Bahumant down there and all was well!" Seth finished with a flourish, leaping atop the mound of flowers and dirt that covered the chapel.

They all stopped and stood for a moment looking at the mound, contemplating the story.

"So they're still there, huh?" Vanessa asked quietly. Kendra responded with only a brief nod in her direction.

"You know a lot of other things happened too." Seth whispered, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. They all looked up at him expectedly, waiting for him to continue until Kendra seemed to understand.

"No!" Kendra cried, "Seth, we are NOT talking about the cow!"

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! This story will be in one-shot type format, not necessarily relating to each other. If you have any ideas you`d like me to include in this story, please put them in the reviews! Check out my other stories, review, favorite, follow blah blah blah, whatever else you`re supposed to put here. Self-promo, yay!**


	2. Zoo Trip

"Zebras!" Seth yelled, running over to the zebra exhibit, trucking an unsuspecting 8 year old out of the way in his haste to be at the front. Kendra sighed, she loved her little brother and she knew that he was so much more mature than he once was, but boy, could he act like a child sometimes. Kendra cast a glance at Bracken, who returned it uncomfortably, eyes roaming over the zebra exhibit mistrustfully.

"Act more natural," Kendra murmured to Bracken, nudging him with her shoulder and taking his hand. "This is a _covert_ mission."

Bracken nodded to her relaxing visibly, allowing her to pull him closer to the zebras. For a while, Maddox had been tracking a shady business man named Alexander Sokolov, who he suspected was illegally trading fairies and other magical creatures and abusing them. After many months of investigation, Maddox had found the evidence he was looking for, and the day at the zoo was a sting operation to arrest Alexander. Though Maddox and a few others on his teams would be doing most of the work, Maddox had requested their presence in case of emergency with any of the creatures, and as a sort of insurance. If they were to see Sokolov, they had been ordered to call Maddox and other others so they could make the arrest. Bracken had been persuaded to come along on the mission by Seth, given that he was visiting Fablehaven for a few days. However, that was before Bracken had found out that they would be going to a zoo/wildlife preservation center. Bracken had explained his dislike for any type of zoo, believing strongly that no animal should be kept in a cage.

"They look sad don`t they?" Bracken asked absently as they watched the zebras romp around their huge pen.

Seth gave Bracken a strange look. "Not really?"

Bracken looked defensive, "Well of course they are!"

Seth raised his eyebrows, "What, can you read their emotions?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes!" Bracken replied at the same time that Kendra said, "No."

Kendra gave him a look, "You know you can`t Bracken."

Bracken huffed in exasperation, "Okay maybe I don't know that for sure, but what kind of a life is being trapped in a cage every day?"

"But they don't live in a cage, they live in the land behind the zoo." Seth reported, pointing to a sign that read "Zebra Care." As Bracken unhappily examined the sign that told about where the zebras lived and their health and care, Kendra and Seth headed over to the lion exhibit.

"What`s his problem?" Seth muttered under his breath to Kendra as they approached the guardrail.

Kendra shook her head, "Give him a break. I think this place reminds him of his own imprisonment."

"But it`s not even a zoo, it`s a wildlife center. They help animals!" Seth whispered hotly.

Kendra smiled at him sadly, "It`s different for people like him. He was in that place for 300 years Seth, and that takes a toll on a person, even on Bracken."

Seth nodded gloomily, "I guess you`re right. But I just wanted him to have fun, I didn't think he would hate it this much."

"I don't think he hates it, I just think it`s a little bittersweet for him." Kendra nudged Seth with her shoulder, "But maybe you could convince him that this place isn't so bad."

Seth perked up a little, "Yeah! Maddox gave us behind the scenes passes! Let`s go see what these animals really live like!" Seth jumped off the ledge he was perched on, and ran over to Bracken and grabbed his arms, tearing him away from the sign and herding him over to the main animal care building. Kendra smiled a little to herself before following her brother and Bracken, if anyone could cheer up Bracken today, it would be Seth.

Seth led the group into the animal care facility, flashing their badges at the employee that stood guard. Kendra, Bracken and Seth watched as several sea lions dragged themselves from the water and down the metal ramp into the underground part of their exhibit. The employees began to feed the sea lions as they happily played in the large tank that was set underground, diving for the food the caretakers threw into the tank. Even Bracken had started to cheer up a little, as they moved on to observe the otters, dolphins, birds, cheetahs and other animals that were being taken care of and fed. They had even seen the nursery, per Kendra`s incessant begging, cooing happily at all the baby animals there. It was as they were walking to see the pandas when Bracken has spotted their target. Alexander Sokolov was walking with a group of zoo employees around the complex. Bracken had grabbed Kendra hard around the waist and placed his hand on Seth`s shoulder and steered them casually out of sight of Alexander Sokolov.

"We need to get Maddox!" Seth whispered intensely, pulling out of Bracken`s grip.

Bracken nodded, "I`ll go with you and Kendra-"

"I`ll keep an eye on him." Kendra finished. The declaration had been a burst of confidence in herself that she didn't know she had.

Bracken eyed her dubiously, obviously unhappy with her decision, but allowed Seth to drag him out of the complex to fetch Maddox. Kendra took a deep breath, composing herself before walking back to where Alexander was. Kendra moved languidly back to the nursery. She kept her eyes on the room beyond the glass, refusing to take her eyes off the room, for fear she would give something away.

"Fascinating isn`t it?" Kendra heard a voice say from right behind her left shoulder and she jumped, hand moving instinctively towards the knife that was hidden on her thigh underneath the blue dress she wore. The man who had spoken stepped up beside her to the viewing window and she laid eyes on him, she realized that it was indeed Alexander Sokolov that had spoken. Kendra forced her hand to rest on the railing, away from the knife and molded her face into an innocent smile.

"Definitely." She kept her answer brief, trying so hard to remain calm despite her racing heart. She allowed herself to glance at the man beside her. Alexander Sokolov looked much younger in person, and his perfectly pressed suit and his coy smile made him look much more handsome as well.

"I`m Alexander. Alexander Sokolov." Alexander stated, turning towards her and holding out her hand.

Kendra faced him as well and took the hand he had offered. "Melissa Carps. Nice to meet you Mr. Sokolov." She responded, using the fake name that had been given to her for the mission.

"Please, it's Alexander. Mr. Sokolov was my father." He replied, lips curving into an indulgent smile. His eyes drifted from her face down to the badge that rested in a lanyard around her neck, "So, who did you have to pay to get back here?" The blunt nature of the question surprised her and she fought to keep the smile on her face. Alexander began to laugh, and she let her smile grow the slightest bit.

"I`m just joking with you by the way." Alexander clarified, turning back to the nursery.

Kendra nodded, playing along, yet recognizing the real reason behind his question, "My cousin works here and he gave me and brother passes for our birthdays." Kendra improvised, going along with her supposed family history.

"Ah. How kind of him." Alexander replied. His response was casual, but Kendra could feel how he visibly relaxed at her answer.

"So, who did you pay?" Kendra asked innocently. Even she was surprised at her own boldness. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Alexander smile slightly.

"Myself." Alexander admitted with a slight laugh. "I own fifty percent of the zoo`s stocks."

"Mm. Fascinating." Kendra replied before taking a big chance. "It`s so nice how well this place takes care of their animals." She risked another glance towards him and continued. "I mean, my boyfriend is always sort of hesitant when it comes to places like this, he`s a big animal activist, you know, but even he is really impressed at how state of the art this place is." Kendra knew she was rambling, but she needed to keep Alexander occupied until Bracken and Seth could get back with reinforcements.

"I know what you mean." Alexander agreed. "It`s actually why I invested in the first place. I always remembered going to the zoo and seeing all those depressed animals and when I found this place, I knew I wanted to be involved."

Kendra smiled at him, "Of course. My cousin was so excited when he got a job here. It was his dream."

Alexander turned towards her curiously, "What is your cousin`s name anyway? Maybe I know him."

Kendra turned as well to face him more directly, "His name is Maddox. You probably have crossed paths with him, he does a lot for the zoo." As she spoke, she could see over his shoulder the doors burst open and a group of people striding inside. In the front, she could see Bracken, Seth and Maddox walking towards them.

"And you know," Kendra burst out, desperately trying to keep Alexander`s attention turned towards her, "My cousin cares a lot about animals. Even the more exotic ones, he`s spent his life doing all he can to help animals, and you know," Kendra stepped closer to Alexander, feeling bolder, and angrier. "He does a lot to fight against people like _you._ "

"Like me?" Alexander asked offended, but this close to him, Kendra could see how his eyes had widened in panic at her words and how his posture had stiffened. "What could you possibly mean?"

Kendra gave him a smile as Maddox and his team got closer to them, pitching her voice lower as to avoid being heard. "People who use and abuse other creatures for their own profit. It`s disgusting, you know, the things you`ve done to those creatures. I`ve seen the reports you know, and trust me, you will have a _long_ time to think about what you`ve done."

* * *

Bracken stood near the zebra exhibit watching the zebras eat. Kendra walked up to Bracken, nudging his shoulder with hers.

"So, do you feel better about this place now?" Kendra asked.

Bracken smiled a bit, "A little bit, yeah. But I still don`t like the idea of animals being trapped."

"Bracken, these animals are here because they were rescued and rehabilitated or were born in captivity. And besides," Kendra pitched her voice softer. "This place isn't like the Sphinx`s dungeons."

Bracken nodded, looking over at her, his eyes sad. "Yeah." He replied softly.

"It`s okay you know," Seth`s voice came from behind them. "It`s okay to remember it." His voice was quiet and serious. Bracken appeared surprised at this omission before stepping forward and squeezing Seth`s shoulder.

"Thanks Seth."

* * *

 **Inspired by my recent trip to the zoo. Hope you liked it, huge thanks to Christian for the review and unbreakable walls and FangirlingThroughTheAges for the favorite and follow. Love ya guys! (I do not own Fablehaven!)**

 **-Alyssa**


	3. Return Pt 1

**Part 1 of 2. Brandon Mull owns Fablehaven. Please enjoy!**

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"How was the flight?" Warren heard his brother`s voice from the door of the main house. He turned to see both Ruth and Dale exiting house, both fully clothed and seemingly wide awake, despite the late hour.

"Awful." Vanessa responded, shutting the trunk of the car after having taken out her last duffle bag. She and Tanu were both laden down with their luggage. Dale chuckled, coming down the stairs to take some of the bags from Vanessa.

"Sorry to hear it. You got home earlier than we expected." Ruth added, also walking down the stairs to greet them. She hugged Warren tightly, and then moved to hug Vanessa and Tanu. Dale clapped Warren on the back and shook Tanu`s hand and nodded to Vanessa.

"Stan`s inside, and he wants to talk to you about the mission before you got to bed." Ruth motioned to the door, "Follow me."

Warren, Vanessa, Tanu, Mara and Elise had been on a mission to the Rio Branco preserve to help reconstitute the preserve after its collapse during the hunt for the artifacts. Even though the demon Lycerna, had been eradicated there was much work to do, something that both Mara and Elise were still working on accomplishing. However, the three of them had been needed for a shorter time than expected and were allowed to go home. Either way, they had been gone for 5 months, longer than any of them had been away from Fablehaven since Zzyxx. There had been regular phone and skype calls but the distance had been felt by everyone.

"Where are the kids?" Tanu asked as the group came inside, noting the absence of both Kendra and Seth from the entryway. No matter the hour, both kids always stayed up to greet whoever was getting home from a mission.

Ruth glanced at Dale who shrugged, "Asleep. They`ve… had a long day." He replied vaguely, placing the bags down by the stairs, motioning the rest of them to do the same.

"Stan is in his study, he had some last minute things to follow up on." Ruth said, turning to walk towards the study. But, as they made to follow her, stopping by the kitchen to ditch the various empty bottles and fast food containers they had collected in the car throughout the 7 hour drive from the Knight`s airstrip, Warren began to notice some very strange things. As they went to the study, he began to notice the increased amount of medical supplies scattered around the house as well as the numerous pill bottles, crutches and even two wheelchairs sitting in the living room. He could see that both Tanu and Vanessa had taken notice of the same things, both looking confused. The sight only got stranger as they entered the study, Stan`s desk burdened with stacks of papers and yet again, more pill bottles that sat atop his desk. Stan was on the phone, face full of concentration, writing on a pad of paper.

"Can we make their follow up-"Stan cut off as he looked up, seeing him, Tanu and Vanessa.

"I`ll have to call you back tomorrow, thanks Johnny." Stan immediately hung up the phone, standing up, his face taking on a more cheerful countenance.

"It is so good to see you all!" Stan exclaimed, motioning for them to sit down. "How was your flight?"

"It was awful. What`s been going on here?" Vanessa asked skeptically, taking a seat on the couch next to Tanu, leaving Warren to sink down in an overstuffed armchair.

Stan glanced at Ruth, face betraying a hint of worry and quickly looked back, sitting back down in his chair.

"It`s been… interesting. But anyway, let`s talk about the mission!" Stan attempted. As they debriefed, he began to notice that Tanu`s eyes kept straying to the pill bottles on Stan`s desk, eventually resting there permanently, a deeply concerned look on his face.

"Stan, who is taking oxycodone and fentanyl?" Tanu asked, leaning forward and locking eyes with Stan, "Because no one in this house should need these, certainly not in the dosages prescribed on the bottles. And furthermore, the names seemed to have been taken off the bottles."

Warren also sat forward, "Stan, what`s going on?" The tension in the room increased dramatically, all three of them now concerned.

Stan let out a deep breath, head dropping into his hands, shaking his head. He glanced at Ruth who leaned against the wall, looking grave, and Dale who had come into the room, seemingly finished with taking their bags upstairs who simply crossed his arms, leaning on a small end table.

When Stan looked up again, it looked like he had aged ten years.

"There… there has been an incident here at Fablehaven. And as you may have guessed, it was one of a more serious nature."

Stan sighed, "Kendra and Seth were injured, quite badly in fact." Warren felt his heart drop into his chest at Stan`s words.

Stan continued, "Kendra and Seth were walking back to the yard from playing tennis with the satyrs when a particularly strong group of imps attacked them. Kendra and Seth engaged the imps, but were outnumbered and eventually overpowered. Seth`s leg was broken and his right hip was dislocated. Kendra was thrown to the ground trying to protect Seth and was beaten until the satyrs arrived and chased them off. But… they almost choked her to death and caused severe internal bleeding."

"What?" Vanessa gasped, voice weak with shock.

"But they are both fine!" Ruth interjected, glancing at Stan impatiently.

"Ah yes! They are! Once we had discovered what had happened we brought them to Johnny Chase and he and his team were able to fix them up." Stan surmised.

Tanu looked critical, "Johnny Chase? The Knight`s doctor?"

Ruth nodded, "It was too much of a security risk to bring them to a regular hospital so we called in a few favors."

"Do you know him?" Stan asked critically.

Tanu nodded, seemingly not willing to speak about it further.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Warren asked a beat later as it all sunk it.

Ruth and Stan exchanged looks, "Well, that was a choice that Kendra and Seth both made. They didn't want their condition to get in the way of your mission, and honestly with what they've been through, we thought it better to do what they asked."

"But we…" Vanessa started. Ruth held up a hand to stop her.

"Believe me. I know. But it's late, and you can see them for yourselves in the morning. Alright?"

Warren looked at the others who looked as bad as felt, but he knew Ruth was right, the kids were asleep, and there was nothing that they could do now. He found himself nodding as well as Vanessa and Tanu.

The three, plus Dale stood up, bid goodnight to Ruth and Stan and headed out to the hallway. Warren and Dale split off from Tanu and Vanessa and headed to their cabin. The night air was still and cool, and as he and Dale walked Warren`s mind filled with thoughts, questions and most of all, guilt.

Even as Warren got into bed he found that he couldn't quite sleep comfortably, knowing what he did now about Kendra and Seth, but after a while of tossing and turning, he drifted off into a restless slumber.

* * *

 **And that`s it for part one! I am in the process of writing part two so hopefully that will be up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that!**

 **Also, I know I`ve been gone for a long time, but I`m really going to try and update as regularly as possible!**

 **Thank you to sapphiradi for the review!**


	4. Return Pt 2

**And here`s part two! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning, Warren made sure he was up extra early so that he`d make breakfast on time. After he got ready for the day, he left his and Dale`s cabin and headed to the main house. Dale was already up and doing his daily chores, per the note he left for Warren. When Warren entered the kitchen of the main house, he was greeted by Gloria and Ruth standing at the stove cooking breakfast and Tanu and Vanessa sitting at the table, drinking coffee.

"Get any sleep?" Vanessa asked as he sat down next to her.

"Not much. How about you guys?" He replied, gladly accepting the cup that Tanu slid across the table to him. Tanu and Vanessa shook their heads, a tense silence forming. The coffee made Warren feel more awake, yet didn't help at all with the nerves swirling in his stomach. Warren didn't know what there was to say to the kids, if there was anything he could say at all. He didn't want to make them feel like he was walking on eggshells around them, but he also wanted to be sensitive to their injuries. But it seemed that soon enough, he would have to figure it out as they heard heavy, uneven footsteps on the stairs and the unmistakable clunk of crutches. The familiar sound of Kendra and Seth arguing followed the footsteps as the two got closer to the kitchen. Tanu, Vanessa and Warren all stood as the kids entered the kitchen.

"It wasn't that big of a deal-"Seth cut himself off as soon as his eyes took in the sight in front of him. Seth appeared to be the same as he always been, despite the dark blue cast that covered his entire leg, reaching up to his hip and the bruises that were still visible on his arms and free leg.

"You`re back!" Seth yelped hobbling his way towards them.

"Seth, what are you-?" Kendra came around the corner a few seconds later and upon seeing them, her face lit up.

"When did you get back?" Kendra exclaimed hurrying towards them. Kendra did not use any crutches, but did use one hand to support herself along the wall, the other wrapped around her waist. She looked almost normal, except for the bruises and scratches, much like those that Seth had. She wrapped her arms around Vanessa and hugged her tightly. Vanessa returned the hug gingerly, seemingly afraid of hurting her. After Seth had hugged Tanu, he went to hug Warren, almost falling on his way there.

"Woah! You okay?" Warren supported Seth, catching him and his crutches before they hit the ground.

"Yeah… sorry about that. This stupid cast is hard to walk with." Seth replied, taking his crutches back from Warren before moving around the table to take a seat.

"Yeah, it`s totally only the cast that makes you clumsy." Kendra teased, shuffling to Warren to hug him. Now that he was hugging Kendra he could feel the bandages under her shirt that probably hid most of the damage from the attack.

"Hey! That`s not true!" Seth whined, leaning his crutches against the wall behind him. Kendra pulled back, rolling her eyes playfully.

"What about that time when you tripped over your own sword and broke your toe?" Kendra asked, moving to a chair next to Tanu`s. Seth opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and finally closed it, rolling his eyes at his sister.

"So how was the mission?" Seth asked, turning his attention away from his sister.

"It was fine." Vanessa cast a glance at Tanu and Warren, unsure of what to say.

"Well that sounds boring!" Kendra leaned forward, "Tell us something interesting! We`ve had the most boring few weeks ever!"

"Yeah, about that," Warren said, "What happened here?" Warren knew it was probably a dumb question, but he wasn't sure how else to introduce the conversation.

"Oh yeah! You just got home. Well-"Tanu interrupted, leaning forward in his seat.

"Your grandfather told us about the accident. I think what Warren is asking is how you guys are doing with all this?"

Kendra glanced at Seth, "Not too bad. Just kind of annoying not being able to get around as well."

Seth nodded, "Yeah. Having to ask for help for everything is getting really annoying."

Kendra narrowed her eyes, "Wait, when did you guys get home then?"

"We got here late last night." Vanessa answered.

"And no one came to wake us up?" Seth cried, "I feel so betrayed!" Seth`s antics were so familiar that they almost made him forget about Kendra and Seth`s condition.

"It takes you about 5 years to get down the stairs, why do you think that they would wake you up?" Kendra prodded playfully.

As breakfast carried on, they talked very little about the accident, Kendra and Seth seeming more interested in discussing the Rio Branco preserve mission then their injuries. When breakfast was finished, Kendra struggled to her feet claiming she had some homework she needed to finish, heading upstairs to fetch her laptop. Seth got up to wander outside in the yard to play with Newel and Doren who had arrived in the yard shortly after breakfast.

"So, what was that thing about Johnny Chase?" Vanessa asked Tanu as the three of them stood at the sink in the kitchen finishing up the dishes from breakfast.

Tanu`s expression darkened considerably and took a moment to respond. "It`s not that I have a problem with his practice or anything, it's just…" Tanu hesitated, "Well, to be completely blunt, he`s an arrogant bastard."

"Wow… tell us how you really feel!" Warren was surprised at Tanu`s tone of voice. Tanu had always ever been calm, collected and under control, never being too vocal about his dislike for someone.

"I just would have preferred to be there, you know? Just to make sure his arrogance wouldn't get the best of him." Tanu admitted softly, putting the last plate into the cabinet.

"I think we all would have." Vanessa agreed, putting down the sponge she has used to wash the dishes.

Tanu heaved a sigh, standing up and heading up to his room to unpack his bags and do his laundry. Vanessa left a few moments later to look after some of her creatures. Warren sighed as well and headed outside to help Dale with the chores.

* * *

Warren leaned on the railing of the porch, lemonade in hand, watching the sun set over the trees.

"Hey Warren!" Warren turned to see Seth hobble out the door onto the porch and taking a seat in one of the chairs on the porch.

"Hey Seth." He replied, sitting down next to Seth. The two sat in silence for a while, Warren staring down at his drink.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Seth asked out of nowhere, looking at Warren curiously.

"Doing what?" Warren replied quickly.

"Looking all guilty whenever you look at me or Kendra." Seth laughed a little bit, "You know that no one of this was your fault, right? The stuff that happened to me and Kendra wasn't fun, yeah, but it`s not the worst thing in the world."

Warren wasn't sure what to say to that, or if there was anything that he could say, "It`s not so much about what happened, it`s more about the fact that we weren't there afterwards."

"Well you guys had a mission to complete. They needed you there!"

Warren shook his head. "But you two also needed us. Seth, you two almost…" Warren trailed off.

Seth shrugged, "We`ve had worse."

"Seth, that`s the thing, you and Kendra are kids and you`ve already gone through more than a lot of adults have," Warren shook his head, "It's one thing to be injured on a mission, or in a battle, but this is your home. And all those other times, we were with you, and this time…" Warren trailed off.

Seth shook his head, "Warren, if me and Kendra didn't want to be here, we wouldn't be. Mom and Dad certainly don't want us to be here, they`re always trying to convince us to move."

Warren looked up, "Really?"

Seth nodded, "Yeah. But Fablehaven is our home and it`s a huge part of our lives, which is why we always choose to stay. And yeah, it can be dangerous, but that`s a risk that we accept and very aware of. You guys being here would only mean that you guys could have gotten hurt. There`s no point in feeling bad about it, because it`s okay, and _we`re_ okay." Seth`s voice was incredibly serious, something that Seth had only ever been when they had went to Zzyxx to face the end of the world.

"Geez Seth, when did you get so wise?" Warren attempted to lighten the mood, his voice cracking slightly.

Seth grinned at him, his cheerful demeanor restored, "I`ve always been wise, Warren! Keep up! Now come on, I`m hungry, let`s go eat!"

Seth jumped up, grabbing his crutches, knocking over both his chair and the table next to the chair, and Warren couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, kid. Let`s go."

* * *

 **Thank you so much to Wolf Lover27, and Pointlessly Poetic for the reviews, and QueenGryffindorthetwihater for the follow! Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Bracken Pt 1

**Here I am, back again with a two part one-shot! I was recently reading a wonderful story but PointlesslyPoetic, called We Thought It Was Over (you should all definitely go read it!) and was inspired to write this. For those of you who haven't read Dragonwatch, first of all, you should and secondly this will spoil the first few chapters for you. So, this is my official spoiler warning!**

 **DO NOT READ ANYTHING BELONG THIS LINE OF TEXT IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END OF THE FABLEHAVEN SERIES OR THE BEGINNGING OF DRAGONWATCH TO BE SPOILED FOR YOU!**

 **Basically, in Dragonwatch, Bracken brings Kendra to visit the fairy realm, and is of course, written from Kendra`s point of view. I`ve always been curious about the perspectives of other characters in the Fablehaven universe, so I basically took the third and fourth chapters of Dragonwatch and rewrote them from Bracken`s point of view! Of course, Brandon Mull did write Fablehaven and all of these lines of dialogue, but I did put my own spin on it!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Bracken wasn't sure if he had ever felt this nervous before. He often felt fear, of course, but he hardly remembered what it was like to feel nervous because of the girl sitting across from him. Bracken kept his eyes on Kendra as he rowed them across the pond. Kendra sat on the wooden bench of the row boat, looking around at the beautiful meadow around her. That was one of the things he cherished about her, even with all that Kendra had experienced in the last few years, there was still a quiet wonder and awe when it came to the fairy world. As the boat scraped against the shore of the island, Kendra focused her attention on him.

"Are you sure this is all right?" She asked nervously.

Bracken smiled at her reassuringly. Ever since he had officially invited Kendra to visit the realm, she was still unsure if she should be going at all.

"I told you my mother granted permission. That is the definition of "all right" in the fairy realm." Ever since his mother had mentioned inviting Kendra to visit the realm, he had worked in quiet anticipation of when he could finally reveal to Kendra what he and so many others were working so hard on. Even though the realm was far from perfect, Bracken wanted Kendra to be a part of his world.

"No humans have ever been there?" Kendra checked.

"Never," Bracken replied. "You`re setting a new precedent. Mother kept it closed off to the outside world, especially after Gorgrog captured Father."

Kendra gave a slow nod, her eyes filling with dread as she recalled the battle at Zzyxx. It had only been a few months since, she, Bracken, Seth and a few others had journeyed to the island of Zzyxx and fought the demons. During the battle, largely due to both Kendra and Seth, the world had been saved, and his father rescued from imprisonment.

"How is your father?" Kendra asked quietly, sadness in her voice. Kendra knew as well as he did the toll that Zzyxx had taken on his Father`s mind. Bracken found it hard to keep looking at Kendra`s sad eyes, so he lowered his eyes to settle on the beetle crawling on the edge of the canoe.

"Not much has changed since we found him. His body is whole, but he keeps to himself and hardly speaks. Others still have to feed him, though at times he will wander on his own." Bracken felt a pang in his heart as he spoke. The father he had grown up with was gone, replaced with a shell of man who was dependent on others, something so unlike his father. But, there were times when he would have moments of clarity and Bracken felt like a child again, looking with admiration as his father, who told him stories and gave the best advice. His mother had hope, that over time, his father would recover, something that Bracken was still waiting for.

"I`m so sorry." Bracken could sense the regret in Kendra`s voice, the guilt and sorrow he knew that Kendra still carried with her. Kendra was so young, yet held a quiet wisdom and darkness, indicative of the awful things she had gone through.

Bracken looked up at her, brightening for her sake. "It`s not your fault. Kendra, you saved him. Most of us figured he was dead. I wish we had known! I would have mounted a rescue. Mother warned me his recovery would take time. After all, he was dragged around inside Zzyxx for centuries, chained to the Demon King. It`s a miracle he survived."

"I can`t imagine how horrible that would have been." Kendra admitted, her voice haunted with the awful memories Bracken knew she had acquired that day.

"We`re lucky to have him back." Bracken vaulted out of the canoe, hoping to change the subject to something that was less horrible. As he got out he teetered on the sandy beach, almost sliding down due to the wet sand. Kendra followed, stepping out of the canoe carefully and much more gracefully than him. Bracken could feel a smile growing on his face as he took her hand.

Then suddenly, three heads popped up from the pond, smiled gleaming in the afternoon sun.

"Hi Bracken!" The first naiad, named Chiatra called out to him.

"Pretty day," The second one, Zolie said coyly.

"Care for a swim?" The third and final naiad, Ulline, proposed innocently.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kendra`s frown at the appearance of the naiads. There was no love lost between Kendra and these naiads, but even so, he was a prince and some appearances needed to be upheld.

"Hi Chiatra! Good to see you Zolie! Hey Ulline," Bracken responded, "Sorry I can`t swim right now, I`m taking Kendra to the fairy realm."

The naiads turned their attention to Kendra, affixing their glare on her. "Did you need someone to sweep up the place?" Chiatra teased.

"Is she going to be sacrificed?" Zollie wondered.

"It`s part of our job to forbid the unworthy." Ulline pondered.

Bracken rolled his eyes at them, "Be nice, ladies. Your orders come from my mother. You know Kendra is coming with permission, as my guest."

Zollie and Ulline rolled their eyes in response and disappeared beneath the water, leaving ripples behind. Chiatra looked Kendra up and down, "I don't get it," before also disappearing underwater.

Kendra turned back to Bracken, looking disapproving. "Your fan club doesn't approve."

Bracken shook his head at her, squeezing her hand slightly, "Don't waste any thought on them. They`re silly and harmless." Bracken tried to reassure Kendra.

"Unless they drown me." Kendra replied, her tone full of cynicism.

Bracken furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to lead Kendra to the shrine in the center of the island. "I`ll talk to Mother. We ought to forbid that."

As Bracken and Kendra neared the fairy statue and bowl, he felt his nerves begin to return, this time in droves. What if Kendra hated the realm? What is she was unimpressed by all that had been done? There was certainly a lot to improve on, but he hoped that Kendra would be able to look past all of that.

"How do we cross over?" Kendra asked curiously.

"Simple." Bracken tried to inject some sort of confidence into his tone but fell flat.

"What?" Kendra turned to face Bracken, her eyes showing him that she had noticed his hesitation.

"There has been a lot of buildup to this. I don't want you to be disappointed."

"Why would I be disappointed?" Kendra asked, seeming to be genuinely confused.

Bracken winced, remembering the horrors that had been waiting for them inside the demon prison, "The splendor of the old fairy realm was unreal. We sacrificed all that to create a new prison for the demons. Zzyxx was a mess when Mother and the others claimed it and began to transform it. This new home is still developing."

Kendra`s eyes were sympathetic, "It makes me sad to think of the demons wrecking your old realm."

Bracken shrugged, "It`s what got them inside, in all their millennia of evil, none of them even saw the fairy realm. The chance to go there and spoil it was too had to resist. Especially when the alternative was to fight the dragons. Before they knew it, our old home had become their new prison." Bracken`s heart sank a little bit with those words. It had been so long, hundreds of years since he had seen his old home, and now, he would never be able to see it again.

"And their prison became your new home."

"It was available," Bracken replied, "Like our previous realm, the prison was a pocket dimension tied to you reality. The demons left the way open, and we were free to move in. There was lots of space. We`ve put in loads of work. Don't forget, Zzyxx held many of the most powerful demons in the world for thousands of years. It wasn't just a mess- it was horrifying. Nobody can purify like unicorns. And beautifying is what fairies do. But plenty of work remains."

"Can I help?" Kendra offered.

Bracken smiled at Kendra, "Who knows? Your fairykind status makes you a powerful source of magical energy." It was true. Though Bracken was now used to the radiance Kendra exuded, whenever he looked at her it was like looking at an angel, shrouded in light.

"I`d love to be your battery. I can`t wait to see your home." Kendra said sincerely.

"I`ll show you a lot. Mother won`t let anyone inside the palace yet. She refuses to accept anything short of perfection there." Bracken began to feel excited at the prospect of being able to show Kendra his home and for her to be more of a part of his life.

"Maybe I can drop be again." Kendra mused quietly.

"Once we set the precedent of you visiting, I expect Mother will keep having you back. It is very difficult to get to know my mother. I`m only beginning to understand her myself. But when you killed Gorgrog, you made a friend for life."

"I hope so. The Fairy Queen has always been good to me."

"She doesn't grant fairykind status to many. Mother liked you even before you freed her husband. After the battle at Zzyxx, I don't think she has more respect for any human." Bracken admitted.

Kendra`s eyes began to sparkle, "Do you think we`ll see your Mom?"

"She spends a lot of time in the palace with Father. If we run across her, she`ll probably be in horse shape. She likes to go for runs in that form."

Kendra smiled, nodding happily.

"Ready?" Bracken asked Kendra, noticing that the tiny fairy statue began to glimmer.

"What do I do?" A hint of nervousness crept into her voice.

Then suddenly, the familiar sensation of pulling and the whiteness around them took over them, and as Bracken took Kendra`s hand, Bracken and Kendra were going to the fairy realm.

* * *

 **Part two will be coming soon! This does take a long time to write, so please be patient with me! Thank you to PointlesslyPoetic and Wolf Lover27 for the reviews and feministkendra for the follow! It means so much! Wolf Lover27 wanted Bracken to be in the story, and so, here it is!**


	6. Bracken Pt 2

**Happy Halloween and welcome back to part 2 of Bracken`s story! If you do not know already, this will contain spoilers for both Dragonwatch and the end of the Fablehaven series!**

 **This is the second half of Bracken`s point of view during Kendra`s visit to the fairy realm at the beginning of Dragonwatch. You`ll need to go back and read part 1 for this to make sense, so go do that if you haven't already! In this part, some scenes near the end are completely of my own interpretation since Kendra was not there to witness those interactions, so I did take some creative liberties there!**

 **Brandon Mull owns Fablehaven, but this is my interpretation of Bracken`s point of view! This is quite a bit longer, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

After the whiteness disappeared, Bracken and Kendra were standing in a blossoming field near the middle of the realm, one of the first places that had been restored. Kendra`s eyes lit up with wonder and awe as she turned in a slow circle, trying to take it all in. Slowly, Bracken felt his nervousness begin to dissipate as he watched Kendra.

"It`s beautiful!" Kendra gushed, eyes finally meeting his. Bracken could see that here, in this realm, her own light was even more radiant than usual. Bracken felt a smile begin to stretch across his face.

"It's a start. A big improvement from before." Bracken responded, holding out his hand in her direction. Bracken escorted Kendra to the edge of the field, where a shallow stream tumbled down a series of rocky shelves. Several fairies were playing in the clear, shining water.

"Big fairies," Kendra noted quietly, "Like the warriors as Zzyxx."

"Fairies tend to be full-sized here." Bracken replied as they got closer to the stream and within earshot of the fairies.

"Would the tiny fairies at Fablehaven grow if they visited?" Kendra asked curiously.

"Most would, but Mother wouldn't trust the majority with such power," Bracken said, hoping that the fairies in the stream were not listening to their conversation, "Fairies can be so foolish."

"I heard that." Tinori, a red-headed fairy with striking green eyes fluttered over to him and Kendra, landing in front of him. Bracken noticed that Tinori`s eyes had narrowed as she took in Kendra and her unmistakable radiance. While most fairies were envious of Kendra, there was still a certain level of respect that most had for her, given how she had played a large role in saving the world, and their king.

"The fairies here are exceptions to that rule." Bracken replied smoothly, "Tinori, meet Kendra."

Thankfully, Tinori turned to speak to Kendra civilly. Bracken wasn't sure if it was because she actually liked or respected Kendra, or if she was no longer threatened by Kendra.

"Hello." Kendra replied firmly, meeting Tinori`s eyes.

Tinori gave a broad smile, gazing at Kendra. "I remember you. You killed Gorgrog."

"Yes," Kendra answered letting her eyes drift over Tinori, "You must have been at the battle." She assumed.

"I lost most of my left wing," Tinori replied vainly, spreading her wings wide so that Kendra could see that fully. "It`s been healed of course."

"They`re so pretty." Kendra complimented, her voice sincere.

Tinori`s smile grew self-indulgent and self-satisfied, "You," Tinori bopped Kendra on the nose gently with her fingertip "know the way to a fairy`s heart." Tinori then jumped up and flitted back to the stream back to the other fairies who were pretending they weren't hanging onto to every word of the conversation.

Kendra turned to back to face Bracken, and he leaned in, "She`s a little jealous," He whispered. "You`re so radiant." Kendra blushed a little looking down at her hands, frowning. Over Kendra`s shoulder, he noticed Tinori and the other fairies watching Kendra and him closely. Tinori saw him looking and gave a slight nod at Kendra before turning away from him bashfully.

"At least she spoke to me." Kendra said, looking back up at Bracken.

"Tinori has more confidence than most," Bracken admitted. "You know how fairies get. This is their special realm. You`re the first human to come here. You killed the Demon King. You shine brighter than any of them. It`s a sure recipe for envy." Kendra didn't look exactly convinced, so Bracken changed the topic.

"This way." Bracken led Kendra to a series of smooth, round, blue stones that made up a bridge that crossed the stream.

"Seems like you`re already finished." Kendra looked around her at the various flora that grew around the stream.

"This area is more polished than some," Bracken said. "But the land needs more shape and character. Some big trees would add a lot- ancient groves, or forests in their prime. And we have very few structures. We can do grass and flowers quickly." Bracken wished more than anything he could have taken Kendra to visit their old realm, which had been full of some of the most amazing and wondrous things that he had ever seen. Compared to their old realm, this one was almost pathetic when it came to its aesthetic appeal.

"It's a paradise." Kendra said.

Bracken grinned at her, "Trust me, it`ll be more impressive in years to come."

As the pair crossed the stone bridge, two astrids, Denwin and Peredor landed on the opposite bank.

"You look familiar." Kendra noted to Denwin as she registered their faces.

"I`m Denwin," He replied. "This is Peredor. We were both at the battle of Zzyxx." Kendra nodded pleasantly.

Peredor then turned his attention to Bracken. "Prince Bracken, Jubaya has announced that she will confer with us."

Inwardly, Bracken groaned miserably. On the one day that he was counting on things to be sort of normal, now a demon wanted to talk.

"Now?" He asked. "I`m giving Kendra a tour."

"I believe that is why we got the offer. Jubaya expressed interest in conversing with her." Peredor answered.

"Absolutely not." Bracken replied sternly. Denwin and Peredor`s faces remained impassive, but even so, there was a glint of curiosity, and even some excitement in their gaze.

"Who is Jubaya?" Kendra asked.

"A demon." Bracken grumbled in response. For the past few months, Jubaya had been an almost constant thorn in his side, preventing progress when it came to rebuilding.

"You still have demons here?" Kendra sounded surprised and a little afraid at this.

"Not all of the demons exited Zzyxx with the horde. We`ve purged most who remained, but a few have proven difficult to root out." Bracken admitted.

"You can`t get rid of her?"

"She`s hiding in a sludge pit," Bracken said. "There is ancient magic there, deep and dark. Plus her tough corrupts. Unicorns have temporarily purified the top layer of sludge but the pool becomes tainted again immediately."

"The opportunity could bring her to surface." Peredor said, trying to sound unassuming.

Bracken fixed him with a scolding glare. "Out of the question. The risk is too great."

"How can I help?" Kendra spoke up seeming to be interested.

"Chiefly as bait, so to speak," Denwin spoke next. "The demon requested you by name."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Kendra agreed. "How dangerous is she?"

"We have a dozen of our best warriors in place," Peredor said. "We could get another dozen there. I`m confident we could protect you. And maybe capture her."

Bracken frowned. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going. It reminded of him of how he had tried to get Kendra to not go to Zzyxx and to avoid the danger. When told she couldn't or shouldn't do something, Kendra had a tendency to fight harder for that thing until she accomplished it.

"What about Mizelle?" Bracken was sure that if his sister was here, she would back him up or least help discourage Kendra from participating.

"She`s on her way." Peredor replied vaguely.

"Who is Mizelle?" Kendra asked, frowning slightly.

"One of my sisters," Bracken answered. "If this would give you a chance to catch the demon…" Kendra trailed off trying for a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Denwin and Peredor looking amused at Kendra`s insistence.

"She`s cornered. That's never a safe scenario. A desperate demon could get vicious. I`d rather seal up the sludge pit, leave her there until the end of time." Demons were extremely complex beings, and Jubaya, one of the cleverest, was also one of the most dangerous, and he didn't want to put Kendra in that situation, especially considering she was so young.

"Begging your pardon," Denwin interjected. "but can you imagine your mother leaving such an impurity in her realm, sealed up or not?"

"You`re right." Bracken folded his arms across his chest, hating that he was even considering it.

"Let me do it!" Kendra urged. "I`ll be careful!"

"I don't like it." Bracken responded flatly.

"You have plenty of people to protect me. This could be a chance to get rid of some trouble. Let me do this. I insist."

Bracken sighed, "From what I understand, Jubabya isn't much of a fighter. But she`ll undoubtedly play mind games."

"I`ll play them right back," Kendra looked directly at him with pleading eyes. "I`ve been on much riskier adventures than this."

Bracken shook his head. That sounded like something Seth would say. "Don`t be so sure. Jubaya wants access to you for a reason. She sees an opportunity."

"I`ll keep my guard up," Kendra promised. "So will you. It`s an opportunity for us too."

Bracken sighed looking from Kendra`s determined face to Denwin and Peredor`s eager ones.

"Very well," He relented. "But at the first sign of trouble…"

"You`ll bail me out." Kendra finished.

"Shall we transport you?" Denwin stepped forward eagerly.

"Probably for the best." Bracken said. Peredor scooped Kendra into his arms and took off while Denwin jumped into the air allowing Bracken to take hold of his ankles before taking off. Though Bracken often traveled by air, it was obvious Kendra did not. Her face was full of wonder as she took in the sights around them, the good and the bad.

Soon enough, the sludge pond came into view, a roiling pond that smelled of tar and sulfur. Denwin and Peredor set Kendra and Bracken down in the field a few hundred feet back from the pond and flew off to join the other astrids.

"The fairy realm is huge." Kendra noted as they began to walk to the pond.

"It`s big." Bracken agreed. "Even up high we couldn't see more than a fraction of it. But the sky here does not extend into outer space like it does on Earth. Our atmosphere eventually fades away. And if you go too far in any direction, the ground dwindles to nothing as well."

"Can you fall off the edge?" Kendra asked.

"It would take great effort and powerful magic. As you get to the edge, you ordinarily got turned around and head back toward the center. Same if you fly too high- you start heading down when you thought you were going up." Bracken knew he was rambling, but luckily Kendra did not seem to mind that much.

"Strange." Kendra said thoughtfully.

"This is not actually a world- just a pocket dimension attached to your world."

 _I would speak with the girl!_

Jubaya`s words struck his, and by the look on her face, Kendra`s mind with the force of a shout.

 _Perhaps a conversation can be arranged._ Bracken replied smoothly, mostly for Kendra`s benefit. It was rather unnerving to have a demon communicate mind to mind, especially for someone so young like Kendra.

 _You wish to capture me. I will not let that occur. But I may strike a bargain._ Jubaya answered, her voice firm and undaunted.

 _We`re listening Jubaya._ Bracken responded skeptically.

 _Withdraw your troops from my pool. If you let me speak to the girl alone, I vow to cause her no harm, and at the end of our conversation, I will surrender myself, if you pledge to transport me to the new demons prison._ Jubaya`s voice was eerily calm, especially for someone that was about to give themselves up to be confined in Zzyxx.

 _You would exchange your freedom for private words with Kendra?_ Bracken said, glancing at Kendra who looked as confused as he felt.

 _Do you call this freedom? I intend to trade imprisonment among enemies for imprisonment among my kind!_ Jubaya challenged sharply.

 _Why now?_ Bracken pressed. _You could have asked for such a transfer months ago._

 _I have my reasons, and you have my terms._ Jubaya cut off the conversation abruptly.

"Can she lie?" Kendra asked Bracken quietly looking unsure.

"Certainly," Bracken replied softly. "But demons tend to keep their formal vows. All magical creatures do. Our natures allow certain oaths and promises to bind us. It is partly how preserves like Fablehaven were founded and how rules were established."

"Then I`ll do it." Kendra declared, looking a bit more confident.

"Jubaya promised to cause you no harm," Bracken said. "Agreements to confer during a truce are difficult to break. But she might tell you things that could lead you to harm." Bracken didn't want Kendra to be fooled into a false sense of security around Jubaya.

"This solves your problem," Kendra insisted. "It gets her out of here. And who knows? Maybe I`ll learn something useful."

"Or something hurtful," Bracken warned. "I`ve been shielding my half of our conversation from her mind. Because you`re fairykind, your mind is already protected. Jubaya can only see the thoughts you project to her. Go ahead and accept if you must." Bracken knew that now Kendra was convinced to do something, even if she was afraid, she would do it anyway.

 _When should we talk?_ Kendra thought back to Jubaya.

 _Immediately._ She replied. _Have the warriors back away. Send Kendra to my pool with your first horn. She will need it for us to interact properly._

 _Very well._ Bracken turned to Kendra and withdrew his first horn from the sheath that hang around his waist and handed it to Kendra. Kendra took it from him, grasping it in her hand firmly. She looked even more determined than ever.

"I`m shielding our conversation again," Bracken said. "I was going to give this to you anyhow as a precaution. Perhaps she anticipated me. Or she might have a trick up her sleeve."

"I`ll be careful." Kendra replied grimly, turning towards that pond.

Bracken nodded encouragingly. "Very well. We`ll be close by if you need us."

* * *

Bracken watched tensely as Kendra walked towards the pond and the troops surrounding the pond withdrew. As they did he noticed Gilgarol, the captain of the astrids, walking towards him. He and some other warriors were standing in the field around the pond.

"Anything to report?" Bracken asked at Gilgarol drew level to him.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Prince Bracken," Gilgarol replied. "You think she can do it?" He nodded towards Kendra who now stood talking to Jubaya. Bracken couldn't hear what they were saying, and he didn't dare try and peak into Kendra`s mind for fear of Jubaya`s retribution.

"Yes I do," Bracken met Gilgarol`s eyes unflinchingly. "She was the one who killed Gorgrog after all."

Gilgarol gave a nod. "Fair enough."

"Brother!" Bracken turned to see his sister, Mizelle approach a fleet of fairy warriors behind her. Mizelle was the eldest of all of his siblings and the most serious. She wore shining silver armor, her third horn in one hand, her brunette hair pinned back out of her face.

"Has Jubaya given herself up yet?" Mizelle asked crisply, her eyes on Kendra and Jubaya`s interaction.

"No, your majesty. She wanted to talk to Kendra first." Gilgarol replied, also watching Kendra. By now, Jubaya had extended a hand from the sludge and was offering it to Kendra. They watched as Kendra gingerly stepped forward and shook Jubaya`s hand briefly.

"Her?" Mizelle said skeptically. "Jubaya is agreeing to be put in Zzyxx just for a chance to talk to Kendra?"

Bracken shook his head. "I don't know why either. But for some reason, Kendra intrigues her, and Kendra wanted to do it."

Mizelle sighed, "She is a remarkable young girl, I suppose."

Bracken nodded in response watching Kendra and the demon interact. Kendra didn't seem to be particularly afraid or nervous, just interested.

"I wonder what she`s telling her." Gilgarol murmured.

"Me too." Mizelle agreed.

"Well you could always ask Kendra you know." Bracken suggested. He suspected that for some reason, though most if his family respected and even approved of Kendra, they were still hesitant about meeting her. Bracken wondered if it was jealousy or personal bias against her being a human.

Mizelle rolled her eyes at him, "We`ve never even met Bracken."

"Well what a great opportunity to introduce yourself!"

"No thanks." Mizelle replied stoically.

Bracken glanced over at her. "You know Kendra doesn't bite right?"

Mizelle looked over at him as well, looking unamused, "Yes idiot, I`m aware. I just don't think it`s the right time. Kendra looks like she has enough on her plate right now."

"Very well." Bracken remained unconvinced, but let the subject drop. Jubaya and Kendra talked for several more minutes until Kendra turned and began to walk back towards him, Gilgarol and Mizelle.

"Jubaya submits!" Kendra called to Bracken. A cheer rose up from the troops stationed around the pond and Mizelle and Gilgarol went to the pond to manage the capture of Jubaya.

"What happened?" Bracken asked as soon as Kendra was within earshot. Kendra glanced down at the hand that she had shook Jubaya`s with and discreetly wiped it on her shirt, even though it was not dirty.

"We talked. We shook hands." Kendra replied seeming very distracted.

"Anything more specific?" Bracken pressed.

Kendra looked up at him, her eyes full of dread, and a little bit of fear. "Well, she said that to demons, all the world is a chessboard, and I happened to be an important part of the board."

"What else?" Bracken could hear the hesitation in her tone.

Kendra shook her head despairingly, glancing back at the pond that was now surrounded by astrids, unicorns, and fairy warriors, "She said that a new age is dawning," Kendra`s hand squeezed into a fist. "An age of dragons."

* * *

 **And that`s it! I hope you liked this style of a one-shot and I have more one-shots coming in the next few weeks. As a general warning, like most of you, I am in school right now and very busy, so I will try to update as much as possible!**

 **If you have any requests for one-shots you`d like to see please leave them in a review and I would be happy to do them!**

 **Also, if you haven't already heard, the second book in the Dragonwatch series just came out, called Wrath of the Dragon King, and if you haven't, you should definitely go read it! It took me about 2 hours to read and it was really enjoyable. I`m excited to see where the series goes!**

 **Thank you to Wolf Lover27, Jesus saved even me, Pointlessly Poetic, and raxtus20 for the reviews, and thank you to Jesus saved even me, raxtus20 and lordXzor for following and favorite me and this story, I really appreciate it!**

 **Have a spooky Halloween everyone!**


	7. A Helping Hand

**This has been floating around in my head for a while now…**

* * *

Tanu wasn't sure he could remember the last time that he had seen Kendra so frustrated. Ever since he had met the Sorenson siblings so many years ago, he had never known Kendra to be anything but calm, collected and rational. When she struggled with something, she fought until she conquered it. And, Tanu could count on one hand the amount of times he had seen her this upset.

So when Tanu walked into the kitchen looking for a glass of water, he didn't expect to see Kendra sitting at the table, looking like she was near tears.

Her eyes were watery and she was biting her lip hard as she stared down at the papers sitting on the table in front of her.

"Hey, everything okay?" Tanu asked hesitantly grabbing a glass from the cabinet above the sink.

Kendra sniffed slightly before leaning back and fixing a rather pained smile on her face, "Yeah. Everything's fine."

It sounded like she was trying to convince herself that it was.

"Okay." Tanu took a quiet seat at the table across from her. It didn't seem right to leave an emotional teenage girl on her own, especially one that looked like she was about to fall apart.

He figured it wouldn't take long for Kendra to crack, as she already looked like she was halfway there, and it was only a few minutes later when Kendra slapped her hands down on the table in front of her.

"I can't do this!" Kendra cried out, pushing herself to stand.

"This is so hard! I can't do it! I don't understand it, and I'm going to fail everything!" Kendra ranted.

"Tanu, I can't do this, and I'm going to fail!" Kendra dropped back down in her chair, tears falling down her cheeks.

Kendra looked shocked that she was crying, and Tanu was too. He had only ever seen Kendra cry once, and it was when she had thought Seth was dead. Kendra had an insane amount of emotional control and a high tolerance for stress and pain, but he could see that whatever this was had gotten to her in a way nothing else had.

"What can't you do?" Tanu kept his voice calm and quiet trying not to startle her.

"This!" Kendra slid the papers viciously across the table towards him.

Tanu glanced down at the papers in front of him, labeled _AP Organic Chemistry Review_ and Kendra's neat, cramped handwriting filling the page that had obviously been erased over and over again.

"And I have a test on Friday, and I'm going to fail!" Kendra sobbed, burying her head in her arms on the table. Tanu sat awkwardly, not exactly sure what to do. Kendra had always been so calm, and strong. Even in her most vulnerable times, Kendra never had lost control, or broken down, at least in front of him.

"Look, Kendra, please, just take a deep breath. It`s all going to be okay." Tanu laid a hand on her arm, and waited until she had stopped crying and had the control to raise her head.

"I know it`s stupid, I know I`m being over dramatic, but I just…" Kendra trailed off, furiously scrubbing her face with her sleeve.

"No, it`s okay. Take your time." Tanu tried to sound comforting.

"I just, just, I-I`m not used t-to this you know? I know that this isn't important, it`s just a test, but I-I just can`t stop obsessing over it," Kendra stood and walked over to the sink, clutching the sides of it. "I don't want to fail. I-I don't like failing."

Tanu hesitated, "Look, Kendra," Tanu stood up, walking over to stand next to her. "It`s okay to be overwhelmed. You don't need to try to be perfect all the time."

Kendra looked a deep breath, trying to regain control, "I don't know why I`m so fixated on this, it`s just… I can`t let it go, and I don't know what to do!"

Tanu nodded, resting his hand on Kendra`s shoulder until she was ready to talk again. Tanu wanted to help, but he wasn't sure how he could. And he wasn't even sure he was the right person to help. Bracken was an all around calming influence, and Seth understood his sister extremely well and Stan and Ruth were her grandparents, who knew what to do in these kinds of situations.

"You said you have a test on Friday right?" Tanu asked.

Kendra sniffled, wiping away the last remnants of tears on her face. "Yeah."

"Well," Tanu walked back over to the table and picked up the papers strewn across it. "I happened to have taken organic chemistry in high school and college, so perhaps I could help."

Kendra hurried over to him, looking hopeful for the first time, "You`d do that?"

Tanu smiled, "Of course."

Kendra squealed and threw her arms around Tanu, "Thank you so much! Thank you!"

Tanu laughed, returning her hug, "Your very welcome, now, lets get down to business."

By the time the Friday of Kendra`s test had rolled around, he and Kendra had worked every night for the entire week to prepare her for the test. Tanu found that once Kendra was able to relax and actually focus, she was able to pick up the concepts quite easily.

And on Friday morning, after a quick breakfast and wishing Kendra good luck, Tanu left for the airport to fly to Living Mirage to assist Agad and some other knights operating in the sanctuary. The mission had gone well, but given that he was on the opposite side of the world from Fablehaven, he never had a chance to ask Kendra about her test, yet it had remained in the back of his mind during the entire mission.

So, two weeks later, after Tanu was cleared to return home, he was ready to find out what had happened with Kendra`s test.

But, upon arriving at Fablehaven, Ruth had informed him that Kendra was visting the fairy realm and probably wouldn't be back until very late that night. And truthfully, Tanu couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Kendra hadn't even bothered to tell him how the test had gone, given that they had both worked so hard for it.

As Tanu dragged himself up the stairs, his jet-lagged body longed for his bed. But, after dropping his suitcases in the middle of the floor of his room, he found a note addressed to him laying on his bed beside a box wrapped in simple white paper. The note read,

 _Dear Tanu,_

 _I know these past few weeks have been crazy and I`m sorry we haven't had a chance to talk. I just wanted to thank you for all of your help with my test. The fact that you were not only willing to help me pass a test, but also learn how to let go of the little things means so much to me. I want you to know how much I appreciate you, so I thought I would give you something to show my gratitude._

 _I remember how sad you were when you had lost your book of potion recipes during the whole Zzyxx fiasco, so I talked to your dad, and he was able to help me pull together the potion recipes that you lost, as well as some new ones that might be useful one day. I hope you like it, and thank you._

 _Love, Kendra_

Excitedly, Tanu picked up the box, pulling apart the wrapping paper and prying open the box. He picked up the small, leatherbound book and opened it, rifling through it. He could hardly believe that Kendra had been able to get these recipes, his dad had always been tightlipped about his own methods of potion-making. He couldn't wait to see what Kendra had added, as well as the recipes Tanu had lost.

It was then when Tanu noticed that the book wasn't the only thing that was in the box, in the very bottom of it was a stapled packet of paper. He flipped over the packet and felt his heart soar as he noted the red numbers scrawled on the top of the papers.

 _AP Organic Chemistry Test- 42/42- 100%_

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed! Thank you to Wolf Lover27, meowmix1996, Yuro no Nx and others for the support! I`ll hopefully have another chaoter going up on here for Christmas, as well as on my other story, Fablehaven Facebook Stories, so watch out for that! Happy Holidays everyone, and I`ll be back really soon!**


	8. The Christmas Spirit

**Merry Christmas everyone!**

* * *

Seth was officially stumped. During the entire month of December he couldn't decide on what to get his sister for Christmas. Everyone else had been easy enough, going in with Vanessa and Warren to get Tanu a new potions kit and bag after his old one had been destroyed. He had got Mara and Elise matching mugs and that said "I`m with the Mrs." His grandparents were going to get a new antique chess set to replace their old one lost in the Zyzzx disaster. He had gotten Warren, Vanessa, and Trask new leather gear and Dale a new leather jacket. Even Trask, who Seth didn't really know as well was easier to shop for.

In the past, he had always given Kendra a gift card to a store of her choice and some variety of joke gift, but this year, he felt as though a joke gift wasn't appropriate. In the past year, since he and Kendra had helped to save the world, he and sister had gotten way closer than they ever had before. So, this year he wanted to get Kendra something meaningful, something that reflected that. So, on December 20th, he had finally sought out help from his grandparents.

"Why don't you get her some of the books she wanted? I have a list I can give you." Grandma Sorenson had suggested from her spot at the kitchen table, wrapping presents for the members of the family that had not yet arrived at Fablehaven.

Seth had sighed, explaining that he knew Tanu had forbidden him from stealing that particular idea and left to go see if any of his other family could help him.

Upon entering his cabin, Warren looked up from his laptop at Seth`s question. "Girls like clothes and jewelry, maybe Nessa can help you!" He thanked Warren, setting off to find Vanessa.

Unfortunately, Vanessa informed him that she had already gotten those things for Kendra. "I know that Kendra wanted these new pairs of boots. I can drive you to the store if you want." Vanessa offered as she fed her strange magical creatures. But ultimately, it didn't feel right to get his sister a pair of shoes as a last resort.

So, because he knew he was out of time, Seth made one last trip to visit someone who might know exactly what he wanted.

"Bracken!" Seth yelled as the silver-haired unicorn jogged towards the wooden boardwalk surrounding the fairy shrine.

The unicorn looked around a little perplexed, before spotting Seth.

"Oh hey Seth, what`s wrong?"

"I don't know what to get Kendra for Christmas!" Seth burst out, joining Bracken on the boardwalk.

Bracken smiled amusingly, "Seth, you have 5 days until Christmas! You still don't have a present for her?"

Seth sighed, "I just don't know what to get her! I want to get her something meaningful, something that matters."

Bracken nodded, looking thoughtful, "Okay, I get it. What ideas do you have so far?"

"Nothing!"

Bracken snickered, artfully attempting to hide his laughter with a cough.

"Bracken!" Seth whined, pulling at his arm.

"Okay, okay," Bracken held up his hands apologetically. "You know Kendra better than almost anyone. What is meaningful to her?

"I don't know!" Seth insisted. "She likes sentimental, sappy things."

Bracken grinned, "Think about your favorite memory with Kendra, and then try and get her something to remind her of that memory."

Seth nodded, still a bit lost. "So…" Seth trailed off as a memory came to mind and a smile began to bloom on his face.

"Thanks Bracken!" Seth jumped up and began to run back to the main house, and faintly heard Bracken`s laughter from behind him.

* * *

Exactly 5 days later, after Kendra and Seth`s parents had left for a Christmas cruise that both Kendra and Seth had opted out of, it was finally Christmas morning. Seth had woken up early, sneaking down to the living room to deposit his pile of presents under the tree and headed back upstairs to wake up his sister.

About a half an hour later, after he and Kendra wasted time in their room waiting for the rest of the house to get up.

The family headed downstairs to eat breakfast and open presents before more people arrived for Christmas dinner.

Shouts of thanks and excitement filled the room at presents were exchanged and open. Seth had gotten most of what he had put on his list in addition to some other odds and ends. Finally, Kendra got around to opening Seth`s present and her mouth dropped open as she pulled out the giant, stuffed polar bear.

"Is this…?" Kendra trailed off, laughing slightly.

"Remember when we went to that carnival after we discovered Fablehaven for the first time, and you wasted all your money on that stupid game to try and win that giant stuffed polar bear?" Seth asked, hoping that Kendra would share the same memory as he did.

Kendra laughed, "Of course! We had so much fun! I can`t believe you remembered! Thank you Seth!" Kendra got up and gave him a big hug, laughing happily.

"Well," Seth began, glancing over at Bracken who wore multiple ribbons and bows around his neck, who was smiling deliriously at him and Kendra. "I had some help."

Kendra pulled back, sitting down across from him. "Merry Christmas Seth."

Seth grinned, watching his family open presents and eat the Christmas pancakes that his grandma Sorenson and Larsen had prepared, laughing and smiling together. "Merry Christmas!"

* * *

 **Thank you to Wolf Lover27, Jesus saved even me, and FairyGirl22 for the support! It means so much! I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!**

 **Merry Christmas and happy New Year's guys!**


	9. A Trip Down Memory Lane Pt 1

**Hello everyone, I`m back! The month of January has been incredibly hectic and life has been crazy. This was a much needed break, but I am definitely back! I am hoping to post at least once or twice a month from now on, if not more.**

 **This is a two part one-shot (yeah, yeah I know, another one) and the next part will be coming next week or so.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

There wasn't much Vanessa Santoro could be sure of in her life, but one thing was for sure. She was alone. For so long, she had gotten used to never really being able to trust anyone, and always having to be on guard. Her job was really quite simple; gain the trust of the Knights of the Dawn, and when they were least expecting it, turn on them and do what she had to in order to accomplish her mission. And before, she had never really felt bad about doing it. But then, when she was assigned by both the Knights of the Dawn and the Society of the Evening Star to go to Fablehaven, one of the secret preserves, her mission quite simple. Retrieve the artifact hidden at Fablehaven and get out. At that time she wasn't really sure what she was getting herself into, blindly accepting her mission from both parties, just because _he_ had asked her to, packing up her small New York apartment and heading to Connecticut.

It was this day that Vanessa was reminded of as she stood outside a dingy apartment building in the heart of New York City, staring up at the peeling gray paint on the walls.

"Ready?" A voice from her side drew Vanessa out of her thoughts. Kendra, dressed in black pants and brown boots and a red winter coat was shivering on the sidewalk next to her. It was the heart of winter in New York, snow falling fast and thick around them.

"Yeah. Let`s go." Vanessa led the way inside, holding the door for Kendra who followed closely behind. Vanessa and Kendra had been sent to receive information on the behalf of the Knights of Dawn from an informant who supposedly possessed information regarding a lost preserve that was coming after attack from several demons in the area. Kendra had come along in order to help gain the trust of the informant, who supposedly was some sort of fairy-like creature. The Knight who had set up the meeting wasn't able to give them many details, the informant apparently being quite paranoid.

Inside the lobby of the building a lone doorman sat at the desk, reading a magazine, looking incredibly bored. The man was a balding forty-something year old wearing a too small uniform and an ill-fitting hat. Vanessa led the way to the counter, clearing her throat loudly.

"Yes?" the doorman looked up from his magazine looking irritated. But as his eyes took in Vanessa and then flicked to Kendra, who was standing behind her, he straightened up, coughing a little and stretching his face into a simpering smile.

"How may I help you ladies?" The doorman`s eyes drifted southward, openly ogling Vanessa`s chest and she felt anger beginning to bubble in her chest.

"We need to get to apartment 4C please." Vanessa`s voice was sharp and seemed to snap the doorman out of his daze.

"Oh… yes…well, do you have any ID I can confirm with the guy who lives there?" He asked sheepishly, looking down at the outdated computer sitting in front of him. "It`s policy and all. I`m sure you understand."

Vanessa`s eyes narrowed, not exactly sure how she could talk her way into the apartment without scaring the doorman too badly. But then, Kendra jumped in from behind her, speaking to the doorman directly.

"Well, actually we`re going to see my uncle and it`s his birthday, and we`re trying to surprise him," Kendra smiled widely. "We haven't seen him in such a long time you know, and he just got back from a huge trip, and we haven't seen him in such a long time! My cousin and I are so excited to see him, we came all the way from Buffalo!" Kendra rambled on and on, her unfailingly bright attitude and ditzy demeanor obviously dazing the doorman. "So! Perhaps you could let us go and let us surprise him!" Yet, the doorman still seemed unconvinced so Kendra leaned forward just the slightest bit, lowering her voice. "And, you know, we could just keep this between us and it would mean a lot if you did this, just once!" Kendra`s innocent smile and those final words seemed to do the trick as the doorman gave a stiff nod, trying to conceal a grin, and pointed the way to the staircase.

"Thank you sir!" Kendra called over her shoulder as she and Vanessa headed to the stairs. Once they were out of earshot of the doorman, Vanessa nudged Kendra.

"Quite the little actress aren't you?" Vanessa prodded. Kendra grinned back at her, choosing not to reply, leading the way up the many flights of stairs.

As they climbed higher and higher, Vanessa was reminded even more of her old apartment, the one she had left behind for her mission to Fablehaven. It was apartment just like this one, nestled in some nondescript side street in Manhattan, a little small and a little old, but not at all the worst she had ever stayed in. That apartment had been her home for many years, as the magical world had taken a backseat. She had a job at a small, yet very popular diner that paid well enough and even had some modest friends she went out with sometimes. But, Vanessa yearned to return to her magical life, in exchange for this hardly thrilling existence. It had been one hell of a day when she had gotten that call from the Sphinx himself. She had just gotten home from work, having worked several hours of overtime, filling in for a sick waitress. Vanessa had immediately flopped on the couch, closing her eyes that popped open only a few seconds later when her phone rang loudly.

"Hello?" She had responded tiredly, resolving to hang up as soon as it was socially acceptable to do so.

"Vanessa?" A deep voice shook her from her tired daze as she recognized the voice.

"Hello? Is this-?" Vanessa cut herself off, aware of how juvenile she sounded.

"Hello Vanessa." The Sphinx`s voice was tinged with just a bit of amusement."

Vanessa cleared her throat in vain, "Hello sir. How are you?" Vanessa cringed at her inability to make regular conversation with the Sphinx.

"I am well Vanessa. Thank you." The Sphinx`s tone did not leave any room for extra conversation.

"Good to hear. So…" Vanessa trailed off, not sure what else there was to say.

"I have mission for you. One that I believe you will be uniquely apt for."

"Where are you sending me?" Vanessa stood, heading to her bedroom, opening her closet, already looking for her suitcase.

"In the next few days you will get a call from Stan Sorenson the caretaker of Fablehaven asking for your help in retrieving an artifact that is in danger of falling into the wrong hands. Your job is go to Fablehaven and retrieve the artifact and deliver it to me promptly." The Sphinx finished crisply, obviously waiting for a response.

"Oh! Oh! Of course! I can leave as soon as I get the call."

"Good." The Sphinx seemed pleased, mellow voice speaking again. "Errol Fisk will be assisting you in this mission, though you will ultimately be in charge."

Vanessa nodded to herself, vaguely recalling a tall, mischievous man she had met at one point, one that she might even have bitten at one point.

"Of course sir."

"And Vanessa, you might need to be in the area for some time, so perhaps it would be wise to move out of New York for the time being."

"Oh yes! I can do that!" Vanessa responded eagerly, already thinking that she needed to call the diner to quit. Finally! After being benched for so long after her relationship with that Knight, Warren Burgess, she was finally getting back into the action.

"And Vanessa? Good Luck." The call went dead before Vanessa could reply, leaving her reeling, alone, in her apartment.

Now, Vanessa couldn't believe that she had been that naïve, to pack up her entire life, a safe and stable one to chase after a random mission just because the Sphinx had asked her to. But, that mission to Fablehaven had changed her life.

Upon arriving and meeting the other Knights who had been called in, an old magical artifacts expert, Coulter Dixon, who seemed to be the caretaker`s old friend and the famous potion master, Tanu Dufu, Vanessa had been unimpressed. Fablehaven was just like any other preserve. There just wasn't anything special about it. As the weeks wore on, she got to know the people better, getting close with Tanu and Dale, the plain-faced assistant. And, it was on one Sunday night when Vanessa had found herself at a remote cabin, face to face with a catatonic Warren Burgess. It had broken her heart to see him like that, broken and silent, a far cry from the Warren she knew. Yet, Fablehaven was still quite unremarkable. The creatures hidden inside the woods seemingly having no desire to come out and interact unless it was imperative to do so.

But, that had all changed when she had found the journals. Patton Burgess`s journals. They led her down the right path to discovering what really was held within Fablehaven. That was when she set her plan in motion, recruiting the imps and sending Errol to watch Kendra and Seth, Stan and Ruth`s grandchildren, unaware of just how involved the two would become.

"Vanessa, here`s 4C." Kendra and Vanessa came to a stop outside the door, Vanessa`s mind coming back into focus.

"Okay," Vanessa muttered. "Stay behind me and don't let him see you sweat. Answer as little of his questions as possible. Let`s try and keep this short and sweet, okay?" With Kendra nodding firmly, Vanessa reached out and knocked lightly on the door in front of them.

"I swear to god Gary-!" A handsome, tall man yanked open the fragile looking door, looking extremely irritated.

"Oh… Hi?" The man looked perplexed as he took in the sight of Vanessa and Kendra who stood behind her.

"Hello," Vanessa stepped forward and held out a hand expectantly. "My name is Vanessa and this is Kendra. I believe you were expecting us."

The man`s eyes narrowed as he reached forward and shook Vanessa`s hand, a smirk on his pale face.. "You really expect me to believe you?"

Vanessa glanced back at Kendra who stepped forward, pulling the golden ring she wore on her finger that had been a 16th birthday present from Bracken and handed it to the man, saying something to him in a strange language that Vanessa did not understand.

The man`s expression changed, taking on a look of wonder and surprise as he took the ring, responding in the same language and stepped back, holding open the door. "Come in then." Vanessa took the initiative and stepped inside, Kendra following close behind. The apartment was small and barren, a grey couch and brown coffee table taking up most of the living room. Both were immaculate, looking undisturbed, as if no one had lived there for years.

"So it was Vanessa then?" The man asked carelessly, handing Kendra back the ring. "And you said your name was Kendra?"

"Yes. And you are?" Vanessa answered for the both of the, taking a seat on the couch beside Kendra who had already sat down. The man remained standing, and Vanessa was able to finally take a good look at him in the better lit room rather than the dingy hallway. The man was tall and very pale. His eyes were light gray color and his hair so blonde it was almost white. His pointed ears made Vanessa think that he was some sort of elf or nymph, though she wasn't sure which.

"You can call me Caspian," He replied slowly. "So I assume you're a Blix then?"

"And I assume that Caspian isn't your real name?" Vanessa shot back quickly.

Caspian gave a devious smile, "Answer my questions and I`ll answer yours."

Vanessa exchanged glances with Kendra who shrugged, obviously leaving the decision up to her. "I`m a Narcoblix."

"And you?" Caspian directed his gaze at Kendra who chose to respond in the same strange language from before.

Caspian looked satisfied, nodding to himself. "This sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. A Blix and a fairy princess walk into an apartment…"

"We`re not here to make jokes," Vanessa cut across Caspian. "We answered your questions. Now it`s time to answer ours."

Caspian sighed, rolling his eyes. "No. Caspian is not my real name but it is what I go by."

"And you're an elf?" Vanessa assumed.

"That I am." Caspian eyes drifted over to Kendra seeming more interested in her than Vanessa.

Caspian asked Kendra what seemed like a question in a different language than the one they had been speaking before. Vanessa nudged Kendra who smiled a little before answering the question causing Caspian, for the first time to appear intrigued. It seemed that Caspian responded better to Kendra than her, so Vanessa stood suddenly, thinking it best to give the two some space.

"Say, Caspian, you have a bathroom around here?" Caspian stared uncomprehendingly at her for a moment before waving his hand carelessly.

"It`s through the kitchen and the door at the very end of the hallway." Caspian replied distractedly, more interested in returning to his conversation with Kendra.

Vanessa headed into the mostly empty kitchen, taking note of the Chinese food containers that had been left on the counter next to the sink. Apparently they had caught Caspian in the middle of a meal.

Vanessa felt fairly confident that Kendra could handle Caspian on her own, given her experience with magical creatures. So, Vanessa headed out of the kitchen and down the hallway. The light in the hallway flickered a little, and Vanessa spotted the bathroom at the end of the hallway. She tried the first door, being as quiet as possible and found it unlocked. It was an almost empty closet, only containing a stack of light blue towels and some extra toilet paper. The next door she tried was obviously Caspian`s bedroom, the bed made neatly. Vanessa snuck over to the bed and looked through the sheets stealthily. As she was doing so, Vanessa was reminded of what made her a good spy in the first place. As both a Knight and a member of the society, they were taught to be as unobtrusive as possible, as always returning things to their original place, in order to be undetected. But, finding nothing in the bed or closet or dresser, asides from a few articles of clothing and an empty suitcase, Vanessa returned to the hallway, finally heading down to the bathroom. Once inside, she checked for anything that might be hidden in there, but again, found nothing.

Vanessa caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, stopping and staring into her reflection. As a double agent, she had gotten used to constant upkeep of her appearance, needing to look timeless, which helped to obscure her true identity. It was at Fablehaven where this habit had begun to recede. Waking up early did nothing to encourage her desire to go through her full beauty routine and even more so as she became more and more comfortable around the crew at Fablehaven to not wear as much makeup, and some days, none at all.

That all changed when the Sphinx visited her at all a small coffee shop that Vanessa went to on some mornings. When the Sphinx slid into the chair across from her, his assistant, Mr. Lich, choosing another table across the café, Vanessa had been utterly shocked. For a while, the Sphinx had avoided meeting with her, despite how closely the two had worked in the past and how important of an asset Vanessa knew she was. She had a feeling it had to with what she suspected the Sphinx`s identity was.

The Sphinx had been brief, speaking quickly and quietly. He had informed her of Kendra and Seth Sorenson, who were apparently much more than regular kids, especially Kendra who had developed some special abilities pertaining to the fairies. Then he had left, giving her a firm nod and small smile over his shoulder. The smile had made her heart flutter and her qualms about manipulating children disappear. She had been so naïve, blindly trusting the Sphinx, ignoring her own instinct just because of her feelings, feelings that she knew, deep down, the Sphinx would never truly return.

So, she had gotten in contact with Errol who paid a kobold to go to Kendra`s school and scare her into accepting Errol`s somewhat questionable help. Then, once Stan had learned of the threat, he had sent her to his son`s house to pick up the kids and "save" them from Errol`s threat.

She had done her usual full makeup routine, which made Seth reel at the sight of her. Kendra had been harder to convince, appearing to be slightly distrusting of Vanessa, at least until Vanessa had told her the secret word Stan had told Kendra to expect. Vanessa had been surprised, and even felt a little bit of pity for the kids when she learned what Errol had done to Seth, manipulating Seth into feeding Olloch the Glutton. Poor kids. She had almost felt bad for them.

It really was too bad that the kids had gotten involved, because at this rate, they would just be collateral damage.

* * *

 **And that`s all, folks!**

 **Thank you to RedTulipHead, FairyGirl22, Jesus saved even me, Wolf Lover27 and everyone else for supporting this story.**

 **After part 2 of this goes up, I`ll be posting a one-shot that Brackendra shippers may be very excited about!**

 **Have a good day everyone!**


	10. A Trip Down Memory Lane Pt 2

**Happy Monday Everyone! Here`s part two to Vanessa`s story! This will definitely make no sense if you haven't read part one, so if you haven't, go read that first!**

* * *

A sharp, loud laugh sounded from the living room drawing Vanessa`s attention from her reminiscing, signaling that it was probably the appropriate time to return to Caspian and Kendra. When Vanessa reentered the living room, Caspian appeared more at ease, as did Kendra who reclined on the couch.

"Have fun going through my things Vanessa?" Caspian asked lightly as Vanessa took a seat on the couch. Surprisingly, Caspian didn't appear to be too upset at the thought of Vanessa going through his things.

"How did you-"Caspian cut Vanessa off with a wave of his hand.

"I can spot a spy a mile away. You`d honestly be an idiot to not check."

Vanessa gave short nod, leaning closer to Caspian. "So, on to the reason we`re here. What information do you have?"

Caspian sighed, shifting on his feet and ambled into the kitchen. Vanessa nudged Kendra gently.

"Everything go okay?" Vanessa asked quietly.

"Yeah. I think we can trust him. He`s from an old preserve that officially fell a while ago and was left behind in the chaos." Kendra replied, equally as quiet.

"Okay. Well, just keep your guard up, okay? We don't want him to screw us over." Kendra nodded, returning her attention to Caspian who came back into the living room, holding a stack of papers, several folders and a pile of old looking books as well as an extra chair from the kitchen table. He plopped the pile onto the coffee table in front of them and placed the chair across from Vanessa and Kendra.

"About fifty years ago, a man named the Sphinx visited a preserve in Nigeria and two weeks later the caretakers were dead and the preserve fell," Caspian spoke dispassionately, though Vanessa could sense that this story hit a little too close to home. "The Knights of the Dawn cleaned up the area as best as they could and removed the most dangerous creatures. But most of the other creatures had made a home there, so the Knights set up a defensive spells around the perimeter of the old preserve and left the creatures to live peacefully," Caspian leaned forward and opened one of the folders, pointing at a picture of an gate and a large house. The picture featured a family, standing arm in arm with each other. "And it was my home up until the Sphinx came."

"What`s this?" Kendra asked, having picked up one of the books that Caspian had brought in. It was a small journal with frayed pages. Inside were several drawings and maps, along with compact, curling script filling the pages.

"It belonged to the Sphinx. He brought it with him to the preserve. I stole it from him before I fled the preserve. Are you both familiar with the Sphinx?"

Vanessa looked over at Kendra who looked mildly disturbed and nodded. "Yes."

"The Sphinx came to the preserve in response to a threat of demon activity. The caretakers were worried that demons were getting too close for comfort. So, they called up the Sphinx and he came and helped get the threat under control. And then after he left the demons attacked and killed the caretakers and anyone who dared oppose their rule." Caspian said bitterly.

"Set up a threat, then come to the rescue in order to build trust." Kendra murmured, staring at the photographs of the ruined preserve. Vanessa caught her eye and immediately knew what she was thinking.

Though Vanessa and Kendra`s relationship had improved dramatically since they had fought together at Zzyxx, they both avoided their past like the plague. It was painful and Vanessa felt that Kendra still harbored some resentment towards Vanessa`s betrayal. And truthfully, Vanessa couldn't blame Kendra at all. When the two had met, Kendra had been rebuffed by Coulter simply because she was a girl and had ended up assisting Vanessa instead. The two had become friends, and Vanessa couldn't keep herself from befriending the girl. She genuinely the kid. She was smart, kind and talented, even if she was a little overly cautious and even weak at times. But, in the end, it was Vanessa who had been wrong. She had underestimated the Sorenson siblings, and her capture was directly orchestrated by two teenagers, a feat, that in all her years she had never had anyone achieve.

"So you`re aware of the Sphinx`s methods?" Caspian asked watching Kendra and Vanessa closely.

"Yes." Kendra replied, not tearing her gaze from Vanessa`s. "He tried to destroy my home many times."

"I`m so sorry." Caspian`s voice was quiet and somber, his outward expression of carelessness and arrogance melting away.

"Anyway, the Sphinx destroyed your preserve and you escaped with his journal?" Kendra sat up straighter, thankfully changing the subject.

Caspian recovered quickly, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, and I`ve spent all the time I could the past few years trying to figure out what really happened that day."

"Alright," Vanessa replied cautiously. "Not to be insensitive, but what exactly does this have to do with us? The Sphinx was brought down months ago."

"Well, remember how I mentioned the creatures who were left still live in the old preserve?"

"Yes?"

"Well," Caspian fumbled around eagerly for one of the papers, extracting it from the pile. "A few months ago, I went back there. And I found the old preserve. But… something was…different. The creatures kept talking about attacks from outside the perimeter."

"And you think the Sphinx has something to do with it?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"I think that there is a correlation between what the Sphinx did all those years ago and what is happening now." Caspian asserted carefully.

"So you want us to help save your preserve?" Kendra asked skeptically.

"I want the Knights to reconsider establishing the preserve. If they do it`ll protect those creatures from more attacks. For now, I just…" Caspian trailed off. "I need you two to deliver this information to the Knights. They`ll listen to some of their own."

Vanessa glanced at Kendra who smiled a little sadly and spoke to Caspian in the strange language that Vanessa did not understand. Caspian responded similarly, glancing at Vanessa. The two traded conversation for a bit, until Kendra stood and asked to use Caspian`s bathroom. He told her where it was and she left the room, leaving Vanessa and Caspian alone.

The two sat awkwardly for a moment before Caspian leaned forward, staring at her.

Getting increasingly uncomfortable, Vanessa snapped at him. "What?"

"You know the Sphinx pretty well don`t you?" Caspian asked, seeming to be interested.

"Why would you say that?"

Caspian leaned back thoughtfully. "When I mentioned the Sphinx, your face changed."

Vanessa blanched, did it? "I have experience with his methods."

Caspian smiled a little, "That`s not an answer."

"What did Kendra say to you?" Vanessa fired the question hoping to distract him.

"She said that she believed me and she understood what it was like be betrayed, and that she would do everything she could to help."

Vanessa sighed, leaning back against the couch. Of course Kendra would say that. It was just who she was. Even after Vanessa betrayed Kendra, gotten her brother eaten, Kendra still saved her life. It was just who Kendra was. And honestly, Vanessa coveted that ability at times, because despite how much Kendra had been hurt, she never lost her ability to see the good in people.

"So I assume that you, Kendra and the Sphinx have some unresolved history." Caspian prodded, obviously unwilling to let it go.

Vanessa shook her head but answered him anyway. "I once trusted the Sphinx and because of that, I was willing to look past his methods. I betrayed Kendra and then she saved my life. And then the Sphinx betrayed me and I lost everything and everyone."

"And now?"

Vanessa sent him a strange look. "Now what?"

"You said that you lost everything and everyone, but it looks to me like that's not really true anymore. So is it?"

Vanessa shrugged, not sure if she wanted to get into this with Caspian.

Caspian nodded, letting silence take over the room. In the dungeons of Fablehaven, when Mr. Lich mentioned punishment in the Quiet Box, it was like she could feel her heart shatter. But she had ignored her emotions and scrawled a message to Kendra, hoping that Kendra would have enough goodwill left to find the message and read it. When she had finished the note, she laid on the cot in the dungeon, awaiting her punishment. It had hurt to see Kendra and Seth there, watching her be put in the Quiet Box, but it had hurt even more to see the Sphinx, a man who she had trusted, and even loved doing this to her. And then, she stepped into the box and her entire world went dark.

"Ready to go Vanessa?" Kendra stepped back into the living room after a few moments.

"Yeah, yeah." Vanessa jumped up, as did Caspian, who collected the papers and folders on the table and handed them off to Kendra.

"Here, take these."

Kendra nodded, telling Caspian something in the strange language that the two had been conversing in. Caspian gave a quick smile and nodded.

"Thank you. Both of you." Vanessa nodded to Caspian and followed Kendra out of the apartment door.

"And Vanessa?" She turned back to Caspian who stood in the door of his apartment.

"You never answered my question."

Vanessa began to reply, but Caspian held up a hand.

"I don't need to hear the answer Vanessa, but maybe it`s something you should consider."

Vanessa nodded thoughtfully, "Goodbye Caspian."

* * *

"Vanessa?" The sound of Kendra`s voice made her look up from her phone, where she was writing a message to Stan about what they had found.

"Yeah Kendra?" Vanessa asked, turning to Kendra who hovered in the doorway of their joint hotel rooms.

"Why did you do it?" The question made Vanessa freeze and Kendra continued hurriedly. "I mean, well, I was thinking when we first met. How you… betrayed us. And I`ve always wondered why you did it."

Vanessa stared at Kendra for a moment, biting her lip and considering her response. There was, of course, the vague response that would answer Kendra`s question technically, but Vanessa had a feeling that Kendra wasn't really asking for a half-assed response, so she tried to be as honest as possible.

"I was in love with the Sphinx. And that blinded me to the ugly truth of what the Sphinx was willing to do to accomplish his mission," Vanessa smiled sadly as Kendra came over to sit next to Vanessa on the bed. "When I came to Fablehaven, I wasn't expecting it to be my last mission, or that the Sphinx would end up betraying me in the end."

"I understand that… but… I don't understand why you lied about being my friend, even when you knew that you were just going to betray me in the end." Kendra replied slowly, staring at her hands that were fisted in her lap.

"I never intended to be your friend, or get that close to you, but… I just, I don't know. I liked you and, I liked the rest of you all as well. I betrayed you all, but not at all because I hated any of you or resented you in anyway." Vanessa answered carefully.

Kendra nodded, choosing not to respond. So, Vanessa laid a hand in Kendra`s shoulder carefully.

"I can never truly say in words how sorry I am for what I did to you. It was wrong, and more than that, I hurt some of the only good people in my life. I don't know if I can ever really make up for what did, but I hope that my actions now will prove to you that I`m telling the truth."

Kendra gave a humorless laugh, "I resented you for such a long time," Vanessa half expected Kendra to stop speaking, but was surprised when Kendra continued. "Not because of what you did, but that I cared so much."

Vanessa squeezed Kendra`s shoulder. "I`m sorry Kendra and I will spend the rest of my life making up for what I did. I just hope that one day you can forgive me." Vanessa dropped her hand from Kendra's shoulder, watching her carefully.

Kendra took a deep breath, looking up at Vanessa, tears in her eyes. "I do forgive you Vanessa. And you have proved yourself."

"Really?"

Kendra grinned at Vanessa, "Well you did literally go to the end of the world to make up for it so…" Kendra joked, bumping Vanessa`s shoulder with her own.

Vanessa smiled, feeling her heart lift a little. "Thank you Kendra."

Kendra laughed a little, looking back down at her lap. "You know, when you betrayed me, and then the Sphinx and then Gavin, the worst part was how alone I felt. I didn't know who I could trust and I was so afraid that I would never be _able_ to trust anyone ever again," Kendra glanced up, a small smile on her lips. "But I think I was wrong about that. I think I was wrong about _you_."

Vanessa returned the smile, "That means a lot, especially coming from you, considering what I did. And I hope that you`ll be able to trust me again."

"I do trust you." Kendra stood, heading over to the door.

Before she left, she glanced back at Vanessa carefully. "What did Caspian mean? About considering something?"

"Just… something… he asked me." Vanessa chose to keep her answer vague, mostly because she was unsure of the answer herself.

"Well, have you figured it out?" Kendra asked curiously.

Vanessa smiled a little. "I think so."

Kendra grinned back at her. "That`s good." She left the room, shutting the door behind her softly.

As Vanessa laid in bed that night, she thought about what Caspian had said to her, and he was right. She wasn't really alone at all, was she? She had the Sorenson family, Kendra and Seth, Warren, Tanu, Dale and all the rest, even after everything that she had done. And it was official, for the first time in a long time, Vanessa Santoro wasn't alone. She had a family, friends, and she was not alone.

* * *

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you to Jesus saved even me, Wolf Lover27, scientificallyprovennerd, roseannej, and FairyGirl22 for the support, it means to the world to me! Have a good week everyone!**


	11. Good News

**Hello Everyone! I promise I haven't forgot about this story, I have just been out of town and not able to write! Hope you enjoy it! (Btw, Kendra is 23, Seth is 21.)**

* * *

Kendra twisted the ring on her finger nervously as she and Bracken approached the house.

"Kendra it`s just your family, they don't bite." Bracken`s amused voice spoke up from her side. She shot him a glare which made him laugh. It was the first time she had seen her family since she and Bracken had left on a diplomatic mission in New York for the Fairy Queen, and while they were there, out of nowhere, Bracken had proposed. Now, they just had to tell everyone.

Apparently, her mom and dad who had decided to move back to their own town after deciding Fablehaven was not for them, knew, but the rest of her family had no idea.

"Kendra." Bracken stopped and pulled Kendra to him. "You need to breathe. It will be alright." Bracken`s silver eyes were shining and they reminded her of all the reasons she had fallen in love with him. Kendra took a deep breath. Her family loved Bracken. It would be alright.

"Okay. I`m calm." Kendra tried for a smile, pushing down the nerves.

Bracken quirked an eyebrow at her a smile on his lips, "I highly doubt that but alright."

Hand in hand, she and Bracken headed for the main house and Kendra could feel her nerves still just a bit as she saw the house. She was home.

Seth was on the porch scrolling through something on his phone, but as soon as he caught sight of them, he grinned, vaulting over the porch rail and running over to them. Kendra hugged her brother tightly, glad that she was home. She had missed him.

Seth grinned as he hugged Bracken, asking them how the mission had gone. After assuring him that everything went fine, he gestured to the house exclaiming that the rest of the family was excited to see them.

"Wait, Seth!" Kendra made a split second decision, glancing at Bracken who for the first time, looked a little nervous, apparently catching onto what Kendra was doing.

"Yeah?" Seth asked.

"I have something to tell, or," Kendra glanced at Bracken. "We have something to tell you."

Seth looked from her to Bracken and then at her stomach, pressing his lips together.

"Well, I think Seth is great name for a baby so…" Kendra flapped her hands at him.

"No. no, no! I`m not pregnant! Bracken… Bracken proposed and… I said yes." A slow smile began to spread across Seth`s face, shooting a glance at Bracken.

"Finally did it, didn't you?" His voice contained barely disguised glee.

Bracken gaped at Seth, "How… How…"

Seth rolled his eyes, "Seriously, you think I didn't something was up? You asked me to steal one of Kendra`s rings for you."

Kendra turned to Bracken, "You did?"

He shrugged, looking a little sheepish, "I wanted to get the right size."

"So does this mean we get champagne tonight? Cause I think after you tell the family, we`ll all need a drink." Seth asked, drawing their attention back to him.

Kendra rolled her eyes, shoving Seth`s shoulder a little.

"I don't know how to tell everyone else." Kendra admitted, glancing from her brother and her boyfriend, no _fiance._

A mischievous grin overtook Seth`s face. "I do!" He announced.

"Seth..." Bracken`s voice was cautious.

"Just trust me!" Seth`s shout left her and Bracken no choice but to run after him and into the house.

As it turned out, Seth`s brilliant plan was to run into the kitchen and shout "Ring the wedding bells because Kendra and Bracken are getting married!"

Amid the hugs and congratulations, and in the case of her grandmothers and a very pregnant Vanessa, tears, Kendra spotted Bracken in the corner with Seth, grinning as he slung an arm around Seth, pulling him down to ruffle his hair, Kendra felt her heart lift.

She was getting married to the love of her life, and she was home, with all the people she loved most in the world.

* * *

Seth hadn't been expecting Bracken to be the one to chase him down the driveway after announcing his plans to go eat with some of his friends at a nearby diner. Kendra sure, who always seemed to be calling after him with some final words of wisdom or a reminder, but never Bracken.

Seth stopped and wheeled around, waiting for the unicorn to catch up, silver hair messy and panting slightly.

"I have something to ask you." Bracken blurted out.

"Yeah?" Seth asked curiously, not sure why Bracken looked so nervous. It was how he looked before Kendra had told him that she and Bracken were getting married, so Seth wondered if he was about to get some huge news standing in the driveway.

"Will you be my best man?" The question left Seth stunned, mouth open and gaping. Ever since he had found out about the soon to be wedding, he was happy of course, that his sister and his bestfriend were getting married but there was also a small, bitter part of him that resented that no one had asked him to participate in the wedding. He had hoped to be a groomsmen, but had thought Bracken would want one of his unicorn friends to be his best man.

"What?" It was the only response that Seth could manage and Bracken hurried on.

"Well, I`ve been trying to ask you ever since you all found out, but I`ve been procrastinating because I`ve been too nervous, because I don't want you to say no and… I`m rambling," Bracken took a deep breath. "So, will you?"

"Why me?" Seth still wasn't too sure that all this wasn't some sort of sick joke. Best man? Him?

Bracken looked genuinely puzzled at that. "Seth, you`re my best friend, my brother. And I want you by my side on one of the most important days of my life. Who else would I choose?"

The words hit close and Seth struggled to keep his composure. "Well, if you put it like that, of course." Seth sniffled as Bracken pulled him into a hug.

"Seth, are you crying?" Bracken asked, sounding rather emotional himself.

"No, are you?" Seth asked, failing to regain control of himself.

"No." After a few moments, Seth pulled away, lifting a hand to wipe his eyes.

"Damnit unicorn, you`ve just made me cry." Seth joked.

Bracken laughed at that, also wiping his eyes. "You know, now that you`ve said yes to all this, I reserve my right to drag you along on all of our wedding planning expeditions now."

Seth snickered, pretending to look putout, but the truth was, that Seth was excited, glee filling his chest. His sister was getting married, and Bracken was going to officially be his brother. What was better than that?

* * *

 **Well that was fun, wasn't it? If you guys want me to write more about this, definitely let me know, I have some more good ideas for this prompt.**

 **I promise I am going to try to be more consistent from now on, so expect another update near the middle to end of this month.**

 **I have updated on my other story and I am going to try and follow the same update schedule over there, so go check it out for more fun Fablehaven action.**

 **Thank you to FairyGirl22, WolfLover27, Jesus saved even me, Nacho Cheese Man for the support!**

 **Have a great Sunday!**


	12. Mara

**Hi all! I know I`ve been gone for a little bit from this story, but I promise it is for a very good reason. I`ve been working on another project, one that you guys will hopefully be seeing soon! (I will say, very hesitantly sometime in the summer). This next chapter is a part of this project which will expand more on a situation that is described here (so if you`re interested, stay tuned!).**

 **This one is pretty long, so I`ll stop talking (or writing lol) and let you get into it!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Mara couldn't believe that she had said yes. She had promised herself that she wouldn't do this to herself again. After Zzyxx had opened and she had almost died, Mara had decided she didn't want anything more to do with this world. Evil had already taken most of her family and her home.

It had been a slow but steady process of no longer involving herself in the Knight`s business and saying no to more and more missions. Specifically ones that took her anywhere near any magical preserve, especially Fablehaven. And when she and Elise had started dating, Mara felt even more inclined to a normal life, even buying an apartment with Elise in Los Angles, near where her father had relocated to. Elise still was active in the Knights, and visited Fablehaven every few months, bringing back updates on the others and well-wishes from them. But Elise knew that it pained Mara to hear about Fablehaven, even though she had never explained why, but Elise knew her all too well and stopped giving her updates. And for the first time, Mara content, her life was normal, or rather, as normal as it could be knowing what she did, and that was what she wanted, wasn't it?

But then again, all of her friends were Knights, and she didn't know if she could ever forgive herself if she left and abandoned all of them.

So when Stan himself had called her, specifically asking for her assistance at Fablehaven, she couldn't find it within herself to say no. She and Elise had met up with Trask and Berrigan in New York and taken the long drive with them back to Fablehaven.

As they had approached the gate, something within her heart had squeezed, and Elise seemed to notice, reaching over and taking her hand, smiling at her. Mara appreciated the support, but nothing could make the sinking feeling in her heart go away.

It had been so long since she had seen any of them, especially Stan, Ruth, Hank, Gloria, Dale or Seth and Kendra. Periodically, she and Elise would have dinner with Warren, Tanu, Vanessa and some others if they were in town, but hadn't made any effort to reach out to the others.

When they had stopped at the gate, Dale was sitting on a four-wheeler waiting for them. With a gentle smile, Dale got off the four-wheeler and opened the gate, coming around to the driver`s side window and Trask rolled down the window. He peered inside the car, eyes sweeping over the inhabitants of the SUV and when his eyes had landed on Mara, he seemed to be a little confused at her presence. He had smiled at her nonetheless and had greeted them cheerfully.

Dale motioned them inside and Trask drove up the long driveway to the main house, which despite all the time since Mara had seen it, looked the same. On her other side, Berrigan stilled and she realized that Berrigan had never seen the house.

"Damn. How big is this place?" Berrigan muttered and Mara suppressed a smile at the comment.

"There`s a mansion down the road too."

Berrigan shook his head disbelievingly as the car rolled to a stop and they all got out, stretching their legs, and in Elise`s case, groaning that her joints ached from being in the car so long. Mara found herself grinning at Elise`s antics, as she and Trask began to unload the car.

Dale came racing up behind them on the four-wheeler, jumping off and helping them with their bags, carrying them into the foyer of the main house. The inside of the house was the same as ever, the wood obviously newer, but still in the same style that it had been since she had last seen it. Now though, piled by the door were what she assumed to be Kendra and Seth`s shoes and jackets and as they walked down the hallway to the rest of the house, she saw even more evidence of two teenagers living there full time, pictures of Kendra, Seth and two satyrs she vaguely recognized from the dinner at Living Mirage grinning, posing together in the pouring rain. There were other pictures, of Seth in a football uniform, Kendra wearing a black pencil skirt and white blouse, holding a blue ribbon. There was another picture of Kendra and Bracken, his arm around her, Seth`s head popping in between them making a face. Stan, Ruth, Gloria and Hank made several appearances, along with Vanessa, Dale, Warren and Tanu, even Trask and Elise in one of them. Mara wasn't in any of the pictures, and she tried to remind herself that that was what she wanted all along, to be left alone.

As they arrived at Stan`s study passing the kitchen where whatever was cooking smelled very good, Stan stood, a smile on his face.

"Welcome back!" Stan greeted them enthusiastically, clasping their hands and gesturing for them to take a seat. Mara found a seat on the arm of a couch next to Elise, Trask and Berrigan settling in beside Elise.

Stan got right down to business, settling in his chair and folding his hands on top of his desk. "I`m afraid there isn't much I can tell you about this threat we are facing. We only know the bare minimum about it, but you all are the best of the best," Stan leaned forward, looking grave. "I am asking for your help in this matter. You have all been amazing assets not only to the Knights, but all friends to Fablehaven. We don't know what kind of threat we are facing, but something big is coming. And if there are any of you that wish not to be a part of that, I`ll personally get you a flight out of here as soon as possible." Stan`s eyes swept over all of them, seeming to rest on Mara for a split second longer. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze as she considered his words.

Mara glanced over at Elise, who also looked conflicted and then at Trask, who looked impassive and at a curious Berrigan, squirming with his seemingly boundless energy. Stan sighed softly, seeming to pick up on the tension in the room and leaned back in his chair.

"I know it`s only been a little over year since Zzyxx and I also know that some of you have shown some desire to take a break from all of this, but to tell you the truth, the reason I called you here is because I trust you. My family trusts you, and we need all the help we can get. I don't want to pressure you into anything, and this is not an order, but please, consider it."

"What kind of threat?" Mara asked softly. Stan shifted, reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a file.

"There have been disappearances throughout Fablehaven. Creatures of all size and type have been disappearing, all without a trace. No one can find them, and there is no logical explanation for where they`ve gone. There have been similar accounts all around the world, just last week, 2 unicorns living in the Living Mirage sanctuary disappeared. The problem has spread to all corners of the globe, and even some of our own Knights are going missing as well. The outside world hasn't noticed yet but we predict that they will soon. We`ve already had 13 disappearances in the last 4 months." Stan handed the folder to Trask who looked over what was inside, his expression somber and sad. "Kendra has been in contact with the Fairy Kingdom, and there are creatures going missing there as well. There`s already been one death so far. A unicorn. He went missing, and they found him dead in a meadow and no one knows what happened to him."

Stan surveyed them sadly, and though Mara felt terrible for the missing people, she couldn't help the thrill of curiosity and excitement that shot through her stomach at the prospect of such an interesting mystery. But this was exactly the kind of thing that Mara had to avoid if she ever wanted a chance at normal life. But… Stan was a friend. A good friend, and so were all the others, could she really just abandon them?

"Well, why don't we take a few days to think about, maybe do some light investigating and then we`ll make our decisions?" Trask suggested quietly, breaking the silence that had settles over the room.

Stan perked up a little, "Of course, of course. We have rooms set up for you in the mansion and tomorrow we can all meet and talk about the problem. Kendra and Seth have done some interesting research about this."

Mara nodded her consent along with the rest of them, and they all stood, letting Stan lead them out to the kitchen. Ruth and Gloria were standing in the kitchen, talking as Ruth laid out pieces of bread on a cookie sheet and Gloria tossed a salad. The two women greeted the group happily, and as Ruth hugged Mara, she felt something inside her squeeze. No one had hugged her like that, like a mother had since… well, best not to think too much about that.

All of a sudden, a pair of feet clattered down the stairs, and Seth Sorenson bounded into the kitchen. His hair was curly and wet and he wore a pair of shorts and a tank top. His eyes glittered beneath his mop of hair.

"Grandma? Have you seen my sword?" Seth asked loudly. His voice was deeper than it had been the last time Mara had seen him. He was taller too, and looked much older, he had gotten leaner and his face had thinned too, giving him a more mature look. He no longer had the look of unbridled wildness she had always associated with Seth. There was something wise and even sad in his expression that made Mara`s heart squeeze again; how was it possible that little Seth Sorenson had grown up so much?

"No Seth, and don't be rude, we have guests." Ruth chided, gesturing towards Mara and the others. Seth looked to where she had pointed, seeing them for the first time. His face broke out into a smile and his eyes twinkled, and for just a second, it was like she was looking at the same Seth Sorenson who had smiled at her brilliantly when the griffins had picked them up while they were in Wyrmroost even though they were being taken against their will.

"Hey guys! It`s good to see you! And oh hey! Mara, haven't seen you in a while!" Seth stepped forward, spreading his arms in her direction. Mara felt her lips tug into a smile as she crossed her arms, teasingly, refusing his hug. Seth`s arms dropped but his smile remained in place as he greeted the rest of them.

From the counter, Gloria stepped in, a gentle hand on Seth`s arm, "Do you know where your sword is?" She asked. Seth`s face dropped into a thoughtful scowl as he shook his head.

"Hm. I don't know. Maybe Kendra does…?" And without warning, Seth ran to the doorway of the kitchen and bellowed up the stairs.

"KENDRA HAVE YOU SEEN MY SWORD?" Seth`s shout made Elise laugh as she and Trask took a seat at the breakfast bar and Mara had to resist a chuckle.

"NO YOU IDIOT. DID YOU LEAVE IT BY THE POND?" Kendra`s voice echoed down the stairs distantly. Seth perked up, running to the sliding glass door, shouting a thanks over his shoulder to Kendra and a warning to his grandmothers that he was heading to the pond.

"Take your sister with you!" Ruth called after him and Mara heard him pause in front of the stairs, clattering up them.

"OKAY!"

"And stop yelling!" Gloria scolded.

"OKAY!" At this, Gloria shook her head, laughing a little under breath as if to say _I give up._

Throughout the exchange, Mara hadn't noticed Warren, Tanu and Vanessa walk into the kitchen from the front door. Tanu poked his head in to greet them before heading upstairs to shower. Like Stan, his eyes lingered on Mara a second longer than everyone else and there seemed to be something sad in his eyes as he left. Warren was, of course, the same as ever, with wicked jokes and a beaming smile.

Mara had always admired Warren for his humor and his bravery, and had even liked him a little before she had gotten together with Elise, and she was happy to note that Warren didn't focus on her, or seem surprised by her presence, greeting her cheerfully.

Vanessa however, looked much different than when Mara had seen her a few months ago. Mara had always known Vanessa to be perfectly put together, even while she was imprisoned. Makeup always done, hair always straight and expression always calm and emotionless. Now, Vanessa barely wore any makeup and her hair was wavy and windblown. Mischief danced in her eyes and though Vanessa, had never been Mara`s type, she looked much better this way, and much happier. Vanessa had given her a small smile, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as they nodded to each other. Mara knew that Vanessa was naturally suspicious and probably was wary of her sudden presence at Fablehaven after being gone for so long.

Their conversation was interrupted once again, by the thundering of not only one, but two pairs of feet on the stairs. Kendra and Seth were having a fast conversation, talking about people that Mara didn't recognize the names of and as they reached the kitchen, Kendra spotted them at the breakfast bar, calling a hello, and breaking off her conversation with Seth.

Kendra grinned at each of them, but when her gaze reached Mara, she had a strange look in her eyes, but she continued smiling anyway.

"Hey guys! It`s good to see you!" Kendra had barely gotten the words out until Seth had called for her from the deck door. Kendra rolled her eyes, and turned to follow her brother, shouting a good-bye over shoulder.

"Dinner is at 6:00! If you aren't here, we start without you!" Ruth shouted after the siblings, getting vague hollers of agreement in response.

Out of the large window in the kitchen, Mara could see the Sorenson siblings running in the backyard, Kendra chasing her brother both laughing breathlessly as they ran into the woods without any hesitation. A few fairies had drifted over to them, either because they were interested in Kendra and Seth`s antics or because of some sort of attraction to Kendra for her fairy abilities, Mara wasn't sure. She had never known much about Kendra bring fairykind, and had been shocked when she had first found out, but never asked how it had happened. She and Kendra had never been too close, especially not after the first time they had met, so Mara had never gotten any real answers.

At approximately 6:00 after Mara, Trask, Berrigan and Elise had been shown to their rooms in the newly restored mansion that Gloria and Hank lived in with their children and some other guests at times, they were back at the dinner table, listening to the sound of Kendra and Seth hurrying into the kitchen, dropping into their chairs right in time for dinner. It was then that Mara was able to get her first real look at Kendra.

Kendra had grown up a lot. She, like Seth was now taller and she had cut her hair to just above her shoulder blades since Zzyxx and whether it was the light makeup she was wearing, or the way her face had thinned out, or the way that her eyes looked like those of someone much older, who knew and had seen too much, Kendra looked older. She looked tired.

But as they sat down to eat, a casual conversation took over the dinner table as they discussed Dale`s recent birthday, Trask`s new promotion in the NYPD and Mara and Elise`s apartment. Eventually the conversation turned to Kendra and Seth as their grandparents asked about school, another like Warren or Tanu occasionally chiming in. As Seth bragged about his A on his chemistry test, Kendra looked over at with a gentle, proud smile, that made her look like a proud parent. Mara accidentally made eye contact with her, and before Mara could drop her eyes, she saw the same strange look that Kendra had had earlier when she had first seen them.

The conversation turned to Kendra and Seth`s parents and Mara could see Elise itching to ask about them, as they were nowhere to be found on Fablehaven.

"Where are they anyway?" Elise asked casually, ignoring Mara`s elbow in her side.

"Onw uh twip." Seth tried to respond, but his mouth was so jammed full of food, his words came out garbled and hard to decipher. Kendra smacked his arm, answering for him.

"They`re on a trip in northern Canada right now." Kendra replied, taking a long drink.

"For what reason?" the question tumbled out of Mara`s mouth before she could stop it, but Kendra looked unfazed.

"They took jobs as travel bloggers, so most of the time, they`re on trips for their companies blog. Taking pictures and checking out local attractions and things like that mostly." Kendra and Seth did not seem to find any of that strange, that their parents were gone most of the time, but as Mara considered, they did have both sets of their grandparents living with them.

Elise nodded quietly and dinner was finished in relative quiet, Kendra, and Seth with a little prompting from his sister got up to do the dishes. Mara offered her help, but Seth waved her off, insisting that guests didn't do dishes the first night. It was a rule that Mara might have known if she had shown up more.

As the night ended, Mara had barely thought about the real reason they were there, the unpleasant thoughts coming to her as she laid down besides Elise as they always did. After an hour of tossing and turning, Mara found that she could no longer convince herself that eventually, she would get to sleep, so, she got up as silently as possible, shrugged on a jacket and slipped her feet into her shoes and went out of her room and down the stairs of the mansion, trying not to wake anyone and even though most of the rooms she crept past were empty, you could never be too careful.

Walking was a habit that Mara had taken to right after Lost Mesa had been destroyed, and everyone she had ever known, except her father had been killed. It was a night she thought about a lot, and when those memories got too close to the surface, mostly at nighttime and she had started walking. It had been a suggestion from her therapist, that Trask actually had urged her to meet with. Therapy had helped with the nightmares and the flashbacks, as had medication, but she still walked a lot.

When Mara walked she never had an exact destination in mind, but tonight she did, as she headed down the main road to the main house. She circled around the back of the house to the backyard, and headed up to the pool. The main house seemed impregnable, somehow, even after having been destroyed many times, it was always rebuilt. It seemed safe, and reminded her that things could be rebuilt. Always.

But, as Mara neared the pool, she could see a figure sitting on the porch of the house, holding something, and just as she was going to turn and head back to the mansion, the figure stood suddenly, stepping onto the yard, the lights on the porch illuminating the person`s face. It was Kendra, and she held the end of a thin silver chain.

"Hello? Who`s out there?" Kendra called out, voice hard and cautious. If it were anyone else, Mara would have stayed absolutely still, waiting for them to lose interest and would have hightailed it back to the mansion, but figuring that she wouldn't be able hide long from Kendra who could see extremely well in the darkness, she stepped forward.

"It`s alright, it`s just me." Mara responded lowly, walking up the path to the porch. Kendra relaxed slightly, stepping forward a little more.

"Mara? What are you doing here?" Kendra seemed confused, eyes narrowing a little,

"Couldn't sleep." Mara kept her voice low.

Kendra nodded, giving her a small smile, stepping back onto the porch. For a moment, they stood in awkward silence, neither moving. Honestly, Mara wasn't sure what exactly to say, especially to Kendra.

But then, Kendra smiled more, perking up a little, "Do you like hot chocolate Mara?"

For a moment, Mara just stared at her uncomprehendingly, before nodding.

"Good." Kendra turned and slipped inside and Mara stepping forward hesitantly, and took a seat on the step of the porch. Kendra returned from the inside of the house, a thermos wedged between her arm and body, two mugs in hand. Kendra took a seat next to her on the stairs, handing her one of the mugs, setting the other on the step beside her and poured hot chocolate into it. Kendra exchanged mugs with Mara, filling the empty one, and set the thermos on the step next to her. The hot chocolate made Mara feel heavy and sleepy, something that she was grateful for.

"Sometimes I can`t sleep either," Kendra`s quiet voice pierced the darkness, making Mara look up at her. "Ever since Zzyxx…" Kendra cut herself off, turning to Mara with an incredibly sad smile. "Well, I`m sure you know."

Mara nodded, eyes focusing on how her hot chocolate swirled slowly and how it warmed her hands which were tightly clasped around the mug. She wasn't sure why she chose to say the next words she did. Perhaps it was the hot chocolate which warmed her stomach, or darkness, which acted like a blanket, settling on top of them, or the slight wind that reminded Mara of the winter, that in a few short months, was coming, but either way, Kendra had shared something with her, and it seemed only fitting to give her something in return.

"After my mother died, it got hard to close my eyes for more than an hour at a time, so I started walking when I would have nightmares."

Mara felt Kendra still beside her, and she felt Kendra slide a little bit closer to her, before she spoke again.

"Your mother was a wonderful woman. They all were." The words made Mara`s stomach clench, and she remembered how her mother had cooked all morning in anticipation for the arrival of the Knights. She had been so excited, Mara recalled, her mother had always loved playing host. Mara had been less than excited. Just when she had gotten used to Tammy and Javier living with them, now, new Knights were there just to try the same thing again. She had expected the two men that rode in the bed of the truck, had been a little surprised at the teenage boy who was also in the bed of the truck, but he had looked capable enough, and had been utterly shocked at the presence of the young teenage girl who had jumped down from the cab of the truck, who looked around curiously, who held no weapons and looked all too young and naïve to anywhere near a magical preserve.

Little did she know that Kendra would end up being the one who had killed the Demon King, and that the teenage boy who had stuttered, ended up being a demon.

After Thronis`s griffins had found her hiding in a cave, cradling her broken arm, Seth had been the one to gently fill in the gaps. Gavin was Navarog, and he had eaten Dougan, and now he was dead. Kendra had been dropped off by the silvery dragon she had gotten a glimpse of earlier, and after a long conversation between the two, Kendra had spoken to them all, informing them of what had happened. Her voice hadn't shook at all, and she hadn't cried or flinched, even when she told them what Navarog did to Warren. She had looked Mara right in the eyes as she told her that Navarog had been the one to release Chalize, who had then killed everyone in Lost Mesa.

"Do you ever think about him?" Mara asked the question without a single thought and before she had clarify, Kendra spoke up, seeming to understand exactly who she was referring to.

"I used to a lot. Now… not so much. I was so ashamed for so long, that eventually, it just became something I had to accept or else it would eat me up."

"Why were you ashamed?" Mara asked, turning to Kendra sharply.

Kendra considered the question, taking a contemplative sip of chocolate. "I wasn't ashamed of him. Not really. More of myself."

"Did you love him?" That was something Mara had wondered about, how he and Kendra had flirted, even overhearing a conversation between him and Seth where Navarog had admitted that he cared deeply for Kendra.

Kendra bit her lip, "I don't know. Sometimes I try and convince myself it was just a shallow crush, but other days…" Kendra met Mara`s eyes. "I think I did. And that`s what I`m ashamed of. Because in some way, no matter how small, I`m to blame for what happened, especially to you."

Kendra`s eyes were so extraordinarily sad, and tired. They looked like the eyes of someone so much older, not a teenage girl, and reminded of the way that Kendra had looked when she had told her that Navarog had caused Lost Mesa to fall.

"None of it was ever your fault. I never blamed for it," Mara offered. "Any of you. And that's not the reason why I haven't been here either."

Kendra hadn't asked about Mara`s absence, but she figured that it would come up sooner or later. Better sooner and only in front of one person than all of them.

"Why did you come back Mara? I mean, Elise told us that you were taking a step back from all of this, but…" Kendra shook her head slightly, trailing off.

"Stan called me. Specifically, and asked for my help, and after everything all of us have been through together, I couldn't say no."

"You shouldn`t have." The words were barely above a whisper and made Mara turn back to Kendra. She looked up at Mara.

"I don't know what`s coming Mara, but whatever it is, it`s not good, and if you really don't want to be a part of this life anymore, don't let us stop you from being happy. Whatever`s coming is dangerous, really dangerous, and I think you deserve to know that no one will think any less of you if you leave all this behind."

Those were the words that Mara had truly been waiting for, for a long time. For someone to officially let her off the hook, and to tell her that it was alright to not want to be a part of Knights, or any of this anymore. But still, something deep inside her rebelled at the idea of leaving, and for a long time it was quiet, watching as bugs chirped and a few fairies fluttered lazily across the night sky.

"Is that why your parents aren't here?" Mara finally asked.

Kendra smiled slightly, "You caught that didn't you?" Kendra considered her a moment. "No one will admit it, especially not them, but yes, I think so. They always have been so blissfully ignorant, choosing to ignore the sometimes, quite obvious signs. And then they were thrust into this life so abruptly, they never even had a choice." Kendra turned to Mara directly, pain obvious in her eyes. "They wanted Seth and I to leave this all behind, to move away to a different town with new names and forget everything that`s happened, but we couldn't do that. We refused to do that, so they made the decision to take jobs as travel bloggers and spend most of the year in other places, far away from Fablehaven."

"I`m so sorry." Mara couldn't help but feel a lump build up in her throat. Her parents had always been so supportive of Mara and what she had wanted with her life, and she felt terrible for Kendra and Seth that their parents didn't.

"It`s alright," Mara looked up at Kendra disbelievingly and Kendra chuckled a little. "Well, it actually kinda sucks but it`s getting easier."

"Good." The two sat in silence, finishing their hot chocolate just as Mara`s watch told her it was nearing 3:30 AM. Mara nudged Kendra who had leaned against the railing of the porch, who stirred sleepily.

"You should get to bed." Mara helped Kendra up, both standing on the porch together.

A smile tugged at Kendra`s lips. "You should too."

Mara laughed, surprised at how easy it felt. "Yeah, I should."

Kendra took Mara`s mug, and picked up the thermos, shuffling over to the door as Mara headed down the steps, on her way back to mansion, thinking of her warm, comfortable bed waiting for her when she got back.

"Mara?" Kendra`s soft voice made her turn back.

"Yeah?"

"I`ll see you tomorrow." Mara smiled and gave Kendra a firm nod, turning and heading off into the darkness. As she looped around the house, the porch lights went off and Mara hurried back to the mansion.

When Mara finally got back to her room, she slipped into bed quietly, trying not to wake a sleeping Elise, and found with her belly full of hot chocolate, her mind empty and her heart surprisingly light, it wasn't at all hard to get back to sleep.

 **I hope you enjoyed that, and again, thank you for your patience with me. As school ends quite soon, I will definitely have more time to update and will be sticking more directly to my twice a month schedule. If you guys have any prompts for me, or ideas you`d like to see from me, leave them in a review and I`ll try and make them happen!**

 **Thank you to Nacho Cheese Man, Jesus saved even me, FairyGirl22 and Wolf Lover 27 for the support and everyone else for your support! It truly means so much to me.**

 **Happy Memorial Day my friends, and to any veterans, or active service members, or the families of those who are or have served, thank you for fighting for us. No words can ever truly encompass how thankful I am to all of those people.**


	13. The Ugly Truth

**For my Brackendra shippers out there. (And yes I know, another chapter about Gavin, give me a break I`m trying here.)**

* * *

It had been a good day. Kendra had been with Bracken, visiting the Fairy Realm. It was her third visit so far, and it was still as wondrous and amazing as it had been the first time she had been.

After she and Bracken had landed in the field of lavender that was the gateway between the realm and Fablehaven, he had taken her immediately to the cliffs that overlooked the sea, meeting up with a few of Bracken`s sisters and his two friends, Gwyn and Rya, both unicorns, and all in their human forms.

They had all been nice enough, but Kendra had been so nervous to meet them it had been hard to enjoy their company before, but on her second visit, she had gotten to know everyone much better. Bracken`s two oldest sisters, Mizelle and Ivory were nice, but aloof. His other sisters however, Rayne and Brea were hilarious and seemed more eager to spend time with Kendra and get to know her, so it was with their insistence along with Rya`s lazy teasing that Kendra followed Rayne to a cave to get changed into an outfit that she had brought for Kendra to go swimming in. It was like a regular one-piece swimsuit, deep red with cut-outs in the sides and back but the fabric felt normal, even though Rayne had assured her that it was good in the water.

That was how Kendra found herself standing at the edge of a tall cliff, hand-in-hand with Bracken listening to Gwyn`s countdown from the water below them. On the word "GO!" Bracken towed her forward, forcing her to jump alongside him, falling into the crystal clear and fantastically cold water below. That was all it took to convince Kendra to jump, again and again, feeling the same rush of adrenaline each time she jumped. By the end of the day, as the sun started to sink, they swam to a nearby beach where Rya and Rayne, who had left with their other clothes were waiting. They all ate together on the beach; the food that Gwyn had made was delicious and Kendra was feeling full and happy as she listened to the others trade stories.

It was then the conversation took a turn to the more serious. Gwyn and Rya, who Kendra had never really gotten to know before each told stories of their time in the wild, wandering until they found each other and returned to the Fairy Realm to assist the Queen after Bracken had gone missing. There seemed to be something between the two of them, but Kendra was unsure whether it was romantic or not. Either way, as the sun continued to sink Brea asked the question that sent Kendra into a downward spiral.

"Who was the first person you loved?" It was a simple enough question, and each went around in a circle answering the question. Kendra was tempted to lie, and just say the name of a random crush she had in middle school, but her mind lingered on a name, a face that she couldn't forget. So when it came to be her turn, the name she had been thinking of left her mouth before she could stop it.

"His name was Gavin." They had all looked at her interest then and Rayne had leaned forward in anticipation.

"Was? What happened?"

As Kendra began to remember it, the pain that she had thought she had gotten over began to return to her heart. It was a slow, paralyzing pain and it made her glance at Bracken, thinking of what she had said to him the day they had met. _You might want to stutter-that could help sell it._

So Kendra tried to push down the pain and smiled instead. "It's a long story, and a lot of it not happy. He`s dead now."

Brea reached forward, placing a hand on her knee, mouth open, probably ready to say something comforting but instead, Bracken interjected, glaring at his sister as he told his story of a girl named Rosaline.

But after Bracken and then Rya had told their stories, it was now truly too dark to continue, so they packed up and headed back to the castle, Brea, Rayne, Gwyn and Rya transforming into their horse forms and got them back to the castle quickly, their shining horns lighting the way home. Despite the fun day that Kendra had had, she couldn't stop thinking of Gavin and his stutter that she had once found cute, and how she had held hands with him, flirted with him. She had loved a monster.

But Bracken had noticed something was wrong. He always noticed. And since she couldn't imagine admitting her deepest, darkest secret to Bracken, Kendra made it a point to closely trail Rayne and Brea as they stole through the castle quietly, heading to their respective rooms. Bracken and his two older sisters were in one wing, Brea, Rayne and now Kendra in the opposite. And she had thought she had successfully avoided Bracken having changed out of her still damp clothes into a beautiful pink silk sleep set of shorts and a tank top.

But as the clock ticked nearer and nearer to midnight, Kendra still couldn't sleep, tormented with the thoughts and memories of Gavin. She went out on her balcony which overlooked a grove of weeping willow trees and tried to take a deep breath. But her mind and thoughts were racing and now, so was her breathing, but this was nothing she hadn't dealt with before, so Kendra settled down on a delicate wicker chair and tried to calm herself.

It was a quiet knock on her bedroom door that eventually forced her regain her composure, hurrying as quietly as she could to her door and opening it softly. It was Bracken. Of course it was.

"Hey can I come in?" Bracken whispered, glancing up at his sister`s doors. He was wearing a loose blue cotton tank top and loose black pants, obviously having been getting ready to go to bed. His hair was ruffled and messy, not pulled back or styled in any way. Kendra knew Bracken wasn't really supposed to be coming to her room so late at night, but she figured that she couldn't avoid him any longer, so she opened her door wider, letting him step through.

"Your mother will kill you if she finds out you`re here." Kendra responded quietly, closing the door behind him softly.

Bracken flashed her a wide, mischievous smile, "You won`t tell on me now will you?"

Kendra smiled a little, finding it difficult to banter with Bracken like nothing was wrong, but she tried. "Depends on how you behave." She brushed past Bracken back to her balcony and rested her hands on the railing. Luckily, her room was placed high above the ground and since everyone else was asleep, no one could see them. She felt Bracken follow her, letting her eyes drift shut a little.

A gentle hand rested on her back for a second before Kendra jerked away, painfully aware of how Bracken could probably feel her emotions through contact with her bare skin.

"Kendra I know-"Bracken began, holding his hands out to her beseechingly. Kendra cut him off, turning away from him and sitting in her wicker chair.

"Bracken, just stop." Her voice was hollow and cold and she knew without even looking up that Bracken was hurt and that squeezed her already exhausted heart.

Bracken knelt down beside her, "Kendra, I don`t understand what I did to upset you." Bracken sounded confused and troubled.

"It has nothing to do with you Bracken." Kendra tried to soften the words by touching his wrist briefly.

"Then what is it? Kendra I can help, you just have to talk to me." The words were so soft and gentle that Kendra knew if she answered she wouldn't be able to hold back her tears.

"It was Brea`s question wasn't it? About your first love?" Bracken tried again, sounding distressed. Again, Kendra didn't answer, feeling tears burn in her eyes as she pressed her lips together to hold them back.

"Kendra if you lied then-"Kendra cut Bracken off, not looking at him.

"No. I told the truth Bracken. And the truth is so much worse than any lie I could tell." She was crying then, unable to stop the tears that began to course down her cheeks. She kept her head down, her hair blocking her face.

"So talk to me then."

"I can`t." Kendra spoke so softly that part of her didn't think Bracken would even hear her.

"Why not?" Bracken matched her pitch, moving a little closer, and she felt his hand hover above hers before it settled on hers.

"Because I`m ashamed." Kendra tore her hand out of Bracken`s grip, barely believing that she had even responded to him, standing and almost running into her room. Piled on her bed were clothes that she picked up and began folding, just to keep her hands busy. She heard the balcony door close as Bracken came in behind her, and felt him staring at her.

"I`m sorry," Kendra whispered. "I just need you to leave. Please." She tried to keep her voice as steady as she could manage.

"No." The answer was so simple and blunt and so unlike Bracken that it made her turn and look at him in surprise. Bracken stood leaning against her balcony door, arms crossed.

"Why not?" Kendra turned back to her bed, and since she didn't have any more clothes to fold, she began refolding the ones that were already perfectly folded.

"Because you`re in pain. So much pain that it`s overwhelming you and I`m not leaving you deal that pain alone."

Those words felt like a dagger through the heart and Kendra squeezed her eyes shut, giving up on the clothes and sat on her bed, folding her legs and putting her face in her hands.

"Tell me why you`re ashamed Kendra, please. I want to help you but I can`t if you don`t talk to me." Bracken soothed sitting across from her on her bed.

"I don`t want to tell you." Kendra looked up, trying to swallow her tears down. "I`m afraid that-"A sob caught in her throat and Bracken reached forward, catching her hands in his. "I`m afraid you`ll leave me." It sounded so stupid when Kendra said it out loud. It wasn't like Bracken was her boyfriend or that they had known each other their entire lives. She and Bracken had met a little over a year ago, but in that time he had become one of her closest friends, a part of her family.

"You`ll never lose me Kendra." Bracken`s words were soft but sincere. "I care about you so much. There is nothing you could say or tell me that will change that, I promise."

Kendra laughed a little, looking up at Bracken, "You still haven't heard the story."

Bracken squeezed her hands, "And I don`t need to, not if you don`t want to tell me. I trust you Kendra and if this is something you need to keep to yourself than that`s okay."

Kendra swallowed, the pressure in her throat seeming to lessen with those words and she was ready to tell Bracken that she just couldn't tell him, but, was that fair? Was it fair to Bracken to keep something so important from him? Bracken deserved honesty, at all costs.

That thought was what pushed Kendra to look up at Bracken, who looked warm and open as always and prepared herself for the inevitable.

"The first person I loved was named Gavin Rose. We joined the Knights of the Dawn at the same time," Bracken looked surprised at the omission, but did not interrupt her. "He was so unlike anyone I`d ever met before. He was… clever and funny, but he had this stutter, and I thought it was cute," Despite herself, Kendra smiled at the memory of how she and Gavin had bantered about their ages after they had officially joined the Knights. "But he wasn`t normal. He was a dragon brother, or at least that's what he said. His father was this famous dragon specialist and Gavin joined after he died. We were sent to Lost Mesa preserve for a mission and I liked him. He understood me. He understood what it was like to have to hide something so important to you like I did." Kendra admitted, biting her lip, looking down at her lap. "He protected me, he saved my life. After we completed the mission we kept in contact, he sent me letters, telling me about his missions and how he wanted to come see me and then we went to Wyrmroost." Kendra looked up at Bracken who looked curious. "We got even closer there. We flirted, held hands, talked. And then we left the dragon temple with the key to the vault at Obsidian Waste and we were attacked by dragons. That's when he transformed."

"Transformed into what?" Bracken asked gently and Kendra prepared herself for his reaction.

Taking a deep breath, Kendra looked Bracken in his eyes, feeling tears starting to gather in her own. "Into a dragon. A big black dragon who blew golden flames and then he ate Maddox`s brother Dougan, sent Mara flying off a cliff and chased me into hiding." Kendra closed her eyes, dropping her face, waiting for Bracken to pull his hands out of hers and stand up and leave.

But he didn't. "Navarog. Gavin Rose was his human persona." Bracken guessed and Kendra nodded, tears gushing down her cheeks.

"He chased me into this place called Sidestep Cleft and he told me everything, what he did, how he manipulated us and then he burned this extra-dimensional knapsack we had and trapped Warren." Kendra continued speaking despite the tears and felt herself crumble, pulling her hands out of Bracken`s to hide her face in.

"Kendra…" Bracken`s gentle voice came from in front of her and she felt him rest a hand on her shoulder.

"No!" Kendra stood, ripping her shoulder out of his grasp. She was crying, sobbing and breaking and now, Bracken knew. He knew everything and it was only a matter of time before he left her and she would never see him, the fairy realm or any of them again. Not Brea or Rayne, or Rya and Gwyn or even Mizelle and Ivory and she would never feel the Fairy Queen`s gentle guidance again.

"It`s alright Kendra." Bracken spoke softly, as if she was a spooked animal. He held his hands out to her cautiously, a strange look in his eyes. It was fear, she realized.

"No!" Kendra exclaimed. "It`s not alright! I was in love with a demon Bracken! A demon! Me! A fairykind, the handmaiden of the Fairy Queen, in love with a demon."

Bracken opened his mouth to speak but she cut across him, her voice reaching a now hysterical tone. "Do you know why Mara doesn't ever talk about her family?" Kendra fired off, not waiting for a response. "It`s because she doesn't have any! Because he murdered them! He murdered her mother and her entire family and everyone on the Lost Mesa preserve, except her and her father! And then I had breakfast with him." Her voice began to trail off, losing its passion. "I ate breakfast with him, I flirted with him right after he went and basically signed her death warrant."

Kendra felt her knees give out as she spoke the words. It had been so long since she had acknowledged Lost Mesa and what had happened there. Kendra fell to her knees, weeping into her hands.

"It`s my fault. All of it." Kendra whispered, giving a huge sob that left her shoulders shaking. Through her hands she could see Bracken kneel down in front of her, not touching, and she was grateful. She didn't think she could stand it for Bracken to feel her emotions, or even feel his either.

"Kendra."

Maybe if she ignored him long enough, he`d go away.

"Kendra. Look at me." Bracken`s firm voice made her stiffen, but she still didn't look up. If she looked up and saw the look on his face, of fear, disappointment, that would break her.

When she didn't respond a second time, she felt Bracken grab her hands, forcing them down from her face.

"No!" Kendra fought, trying to pull out of grip but Bracken was strong. She just wanted to escape, to go somewhere where she could cry in peace and didn't have to face any of it.

But Bracken did not give up, holding her wrists firmly as she fought against him, waiting her out.

"I can`t." Kendra whispered, her voice ragged and hoarse from crying. She felt Bracken`s grip relax a little as she stopped fighting. "I can`t look at you after what I`ve just told you."

"Look at me."

Unwillingly, Kendra raised her face to Bracken, and was about to jerk away when one of his hands came up to touch her cheek. Shocked, Kendra watched him wipe her tears off her cheek and keep his hand there.

"What Navarog did was not your fault. You were used and manipulated and none of that is your fault. What he did would have happened even if you were never involved with him." As Kendra opened her mouth to protest, Bracken shook his head. "No. I let you say your piece, now you`re going to let me say mine. You fell in love with a boy who understood you, who protected you and there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with you Kendra." The emotion in Bracken`s voice stirred her emotions, more tears squeezing out her eyes. "You are not broken because you loved him. And I know that believing that will take time and work, but you won`t have to do it alone. You have me, and my family and your family and you are not alone."

Breath caught in Kendra`s throat as she watched Bracken`s beautiful blue eyes fill with tears as well and she touched his cheek, as a tear fell onto her hand. It seemed that the two had the same thought, wrapping their arms around each other as they cried together, and for the first time in a long time, the pain that Kendra had buried was revealed. It radiated and burned and threatened to swallow her whole, but every time it did, she felt Bracken`s arms squeeze her just a little bit tighter.

Kendra didn't know how long they sat on the floor together, but just as she felt her eyes begin to close, Bracken shifted, to a kneeling position and used the edge of her bed to pull the two them up and onto her bed. As Kendra`s head hit the pillow, Bracken pulled a blanket over the two of them and Kendra felt hazy, sleepy.

"You know if your mother catches us she`ll kill us both." Kendra murmured against Bracken`s chest, already too tired to care.

"Only if we get caught. And I locked the door." Bracken replied drowsily too sounding like he was almost asleep.

Kendra laughed a little at that, feeling Bracken`s breathing even out as he fell asleep. And now, Kendra could fall asleep too, because even though it all still hurt and would sometimes get to be too much, it was late and she was tired and Bracken was still with her, no matter what.

* * *

 **Thank you to MonstersHaveGreenEyes, FairyGirl22, Wolf Lover27, and others for support on this story! It is officially summer time and I couldn't be happier!**

 **If you guys have any prompts or ideas, then I`d love to see them!**

 **Happy Monday!**


	14. Nostalgia

**Hi guys! Today I have two stories for you that weren't long enough to post on their own, so I decided to combine them, both with the theme of nostalgia.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Bracken didn't understand why it hit him when it did. It came out of no-where and was probably misplaced and highly inappropriate considering the situation they were in.

He and Kendra were sprinting down the dark hallway of a filthy and blackened dungeon. The hall was lined with cells, some hanging open, most closed. Bracken didn't want to stop and see if the cells were empty, even though the thought of something coming out of the dark cells unnerved him greatly. But now, the most dangerous threat was the one from behind. A group of three demons, snarling and stumbling crashed down the dark hallway after them.

The demons had been a… unexpected part of their day. Kendra, while visiting the Fairy Realm had expressed interest in seeing an old castle left behind by the demons in their move to the old fairy realm. Before Kendra had arrived, a group of warriors had already done most of the work in destroying actual threats, so when the demons dropped out of the ceiling and attacked them, he had been frozen with surprise and shock. Kendra had taken the lead, grabbing his hand and taking the only exit available to avoid being eaten, which had led them into the dungeons under the castle.

As they ran, the dungeons got narrow and old and Bracken was struck with a brand new thought. With Kendra running along beside him, in a dungeon, it was… almost nostalgic in a strange way. It was dark and mostly terrifying, but those were the kinds of things that got to feel almost normal when you had the kind of life that he and Kendra did.

"Bracken!" Kendra hissed out from beside him as they rounded a corner, pointing out the dead end they were coming up on. It was a split second decision that made Bracken grab Kendra and yank her into the nearest open, and from what Bracken could tell, empty cell. They grabbed the heavy iron door, and as quietly as possible, pulled the door shut. Bracken took cover right under the small window in the door where they were the least likely to be seen and Kendra slid down the door beside him.

They kept quiet as they heard the demons approach, and Kendra squeezed his hand tightly as the snarling grew so loud, it felt like the demons were right on top of them. But eventually, because the demons couldn't see them, they loped off to go search elsewhere.

Bracken released the breath he had been holding as the pressure on his hand eased up slightly.

"We need to get out of here." Kendra whispered, tugging him to his feet. As Kendra glanced out the doorway to see where they could escape, Bracken stayed beside her, pulling his horn out of his belt.

"Remember the first time we met?" Kendra gave him a strange look and Bracken felt the need to explain himself. "The dungeon cell and all?"

Kendra rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. "Is this really the time for that?"

Bracken smiled as he followed Kendra out of the cell and together, they crept back towards the entrance of the dungeons.

"Always the time for remembering Kens." Kendra rolled her eyes again, and was about to respond when a roar, echoing from the hallway behind them interrupted her.

Kendra turned to Bracken as the demons came into view from around the corner. "Is it still the time Bracken?"

And despite everything, as he and Kendra turned to run from the demons who were now angrier than ever, Bracken grinned. "What can I say? I`m feeling nostalgic today."

* * *

Kendra didn't really consider herself to be a nostalgic person. If this life had taught her nothing, it was that dwelling on the past only made the present and future all that more difficult. With everything that she had experienced, from betrayal, to the death of loved ones, to the life she had always known being turned on its head and even facing the end of the world, nostalgia had never done much to help her get through life`s challenges.

"Hey Kendra, remember when Lena used to make us these?" Kendra turned back to see Seth bent over a bunch of stacked canvases. Kendra went back to look at what he was talking about and picked up one of the canvases. In an attached plastic bag, small bottles of paint swung free. The canvas was printed with light gray lines that marked numbered areas to be filled in, but this was no child`s color-by-number painting. It was incredibly intricate and detailed and it was in fact quite a lot like the canvases that Lena used to make them.

"Huh. Yeah. The wonders of Target." Kendra joked, sliding the canvas back onto the shelf.

"Remember when she made that dragon painting? It took me forever to get it done." Kendra smiled as she watched Seth flick through the canvases.

"Yeah. It was the most focused I`ve ever seen you be." Seth laughed alongside her, and Kendra knelt beside him to look at them as well.

"I did so many of those when we were grounded in the attic." Kendra nodded, remembering how at first, Kendra hadn't wanted to do the paintings, because she thought they were too immature, but had soon asked Lena to make her one after watching Seth get through three of them.

"I only did one. It was the painting of the pond. Still have it." Seth nodded absently and Kendra tried to smile through the pain in her heart and stood up.

"You ready to get going?" Kendra waited for Seth to stand as well. But he didn't, remaining crouching next to the paintings, holding one in his hand. Kendra glanced at the canvas, able to make out the design of a dragon perched on a tower.

"Do you wanna get one?" She offered and Seth finally looked up, his face lit up in excitement.

"Can we?" Kendra chuckled a little.

"Sure. Is that the one you want?" Seth nodded excitedly, jumping to his feet. They continued down the aisle and were walking to check out when Seth perked up.

"Oh wait, we have to get you one!"

"Oh, uh, it`s alright Seth. I don`t need one." But Seth ignored her, racing back to the aisle where they had seen the canvases calling behind him as he went.

"Just trust me!" Shaking her head with a small smile on her face, Kendra waited for Seth to return, holding two canvases instead of one.

And it wasn't until the next weekend when Seth and Kendra both had time to paint, that Seth showed her the design that he had picked for her. And she would never admit it, but the choice had made her tear up a little. The design was of a small boardwalk extending out into water, the sky littered with floating lanterns. A woman stood on the end of the dock alone, facing the water. She had been right to trust Seth. He had made the perfect choice.

The next day, after Kendra applied the final coat of paint and assembled the frame around the canvas, she had gotten Warren to help her hang up her and Seth`s paintings. Warren had done it with a slightly bemused grin, but hadn't asked any questions. But, before he left her room, Kendra called him back one more time, unable to resist the urge to take an opportunity when it presented itself. From a downstairs closet where they stored unused or unneeded items, Kendra retrieved two paintings that she hadn't seen in a long time.

Warren`s smile had softened when he saw the handwriting on the back of the paintings with little notes and instructions, hanging the paintings with a smile that indicated he knew exactly who the notes were from.

Kendra stood in front of the new paintings, remembering Lena and her affinity for the beautiful and smiled.

Maybe she was a little nostalgic after all.

And maybe nostalgia wasn't too bad either.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **I want to get all of you more involved in this story, so if you have any prompts and/or ideas that you`d like to leave me, I`d love to write them!**

 **Thank you to Jesus saved even me (thank you so much for the sweet words, it means so much!), Wolf Lover27(thank you for the continued support), Fairy Girl22(I definitely will, thank you!) and everyone else for the support.**

 **Have a good night/day/morning/afternoon/evening!**


	15. K-I-S-S-I-N-G

**I`ve been having major writers block as of late, but I really like this one and I hope you do too!**

* * *

"Kendra and Bracken sittin' in tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"I have a compound bow and enough arrows to make you two look like pincushions. Consider your next words _very_ carefully." Kendra shot Warren and Seth a dark look from over her shoulder and Warren almost laughed, but stopped himself just in time. Kendra could be terrifying when she wanted to be.

"Stop messing around." Trask scolded them, giving Warren`s shoulder a shove, stepping up next to him as Seth ran ahead with Kendra.

"You`re an adult. Could you _please_ start acting like it?" Trask hissed to Warren, disapproval obvious in his voice.

"What? You aren't curious-"Warren slammed his mouth shut as Trask glared pointedly at him, taking that as a sign that Kendra was listening. Sighing, the group continued on through the dense forest.

The mission had been simple enough, running an errand for the Fairy Queen in order to reopen her shrine at Living Mirage. Kendra had been asked to go as an ambassador from the Knights of the Dawn to the fairies and the rest of them were simply tagging along. But, the most interesting part of their day came when a group of tall dryads stepped out of the woods, inquiring about their presence. The lead dryad had spoken in English, thoroughly embarrassing Kendra when she had hinted at Bracken, the son of the Fairy Queen being her _betrothed._

Warren knew, of course that his little cousin and Bracken had _something,_ but a little flirting at the end of the world and an actual relationship were two drastically different things. Upon hearing that Kendra and Bracken might be more than friends, Seth had launched into teasing his sister, and Warren couldn't help but join in.

"We`re here." Kendra`s quiet words stopped them all in their tracks as they gazed at the bronze dome in the distance. Luckily, Agad had showed them a path that avoided most of the dangerous obstacles so the trip had been quiet, much more than his previous one had.

"Alright. We`ll wait here. Kendra, Warren, head on down. If something happens, make sure to radio." Trask took charge, giving orders like he was accustomed to doing.

Warren hurried to catch up with Kendra who didn't look at him, just kept walking. After a few moments of awkward silence, Warren spoke up.

"Hey, you know I`m just kidding right? I didn't mean to embarrass you." Kendra rolled her eyes, finally looking up at him.

"Well you did." Kendra mumbled. It was strange though, she didn't seem too embarrassed anymore, there was something else in her tone that Warren couldn't decipher.

"I`m sorry Kens, it won`t happen again." Warren stopped. "Wanna hug it out?" He asked, spreading his arms wide. He grinned as Kendra rolled her eyes again, this time, a smile tugging on the edge of her lips.

"No, it`s like 100 degrees out here." Warren once again caught up with Kendra, grinning, the tension between them dissipated. But still… the tension in Kendra`s shoulders told him that _something_ was wrong.

"Kendra-"Warren was about to continue, but Kendra interrupted him.

"Do you remember the last time we were here?" The tone of her voice was not one that Warren had heard in a while. It was one of wistfulness and pain.

"Of course I do. I seem to remember a lot more running and hiding then." Kendra laughed softly.

"And the fruit trees?" Warren smiled. It had been a terrible, terrible day, but was one that now, they looked back on in amusement.

"That was the first time I punched Bracken in face." Kendra giggled, stepping over a root that interrupted the path they walked on.

Warren cast a look at Kendra, able to see her face better now. She looked happier than she had before, but her eyes were still sad and dark.

"Come on kid, why the trip down memory lane?" Kendra was quiet for a moment.

"Did you know that Bracken was here for four hundred years?" She gazed up at the Great Pyramid that Warren knew covered a giant, sprawling dungeon, one that he, Kendra and Bracken had been residents of once. "Because he was."

"I assume this new revelation has something to do with what that dryad said?" Warren kept his voice quiet and unassuming, knowing that the best way to help Kendra was to let her talk.

"What she said, about me and Bracken… it might be true." Catching the look Warren gave her, she hurried, "Nothing like that. We`re still just friends, but," Kendra shook her head frustrated. "Things move so fast for them. For the fairies. Everyone else is so sure about me and Bracken and I`m not sure of anything." Kendra stopped, turning back to Warren, distressed.

"That dryad didn't call me Kendra, or the Queen`s handmaiden, she called me Princess. As in a princess of the fairy kingdom! They all do now. And I`ve only been there five times! I`ve only known about this world for four years!"

"Kendra, Kendra, stop, stop." Warren took Kendra by the shoulders, rubbing circles on them, trying to calm her down. "If you don`t want to be with Bracken, than that`s alright. You shouldn't let them force you into a relationship with him."

Kendra sighed, turning out of his grip, running her hands through her hair, upsetting the bow on her back. "It`s not Bracken! He understands, he was the one who told that we needed to take it slow, and we are but… there`s so much I don't know." The pain in Kendra`s voice felt like a stab to the heart. As soon as Warren had met Kendra, he had seen how much she could deal with. He`d seen her go through heartbreak, betrayal, death, dangerous missions, even the end of the world and it had never gotten easier having to watch her feel that pain.

"There`s so much I don't know about this world, about Bracken, about the kingdom I`m supposed a princess of! And they all believe I`m something special, and I don`t!" Kendra whipped around to face Warren. "I don't know what to do about any of this! Even this mission! They`re all counting on _me_ to be the one to have a solution if things go wrong but I don't know what to do!" Kendra put her face in her hands.

Warren walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. She wasn't crying, but Warren knew that she was doing her best to swallow down her tears. "My entire life, all I`ve wanted is to belong somewhere, to fit in, to be wanted and important, and I know that`s selfish, but now that I have all that-"Her voice faltered. "I`m afraid that I`ll disappoint everyone, and then I`ll go back to being the same old Kendra Sorenson that was all too dispensable."

With that, Kendra dropped her head onto his shoulder, and he knew without looking that she was crying softly.

"I can`t pretend that I personally understand everything you`re going through, so I`m not gonna try, but Kendra, I need you to know that you could never be a disappointment. Look-" Warren pulled away from Kendra, so he could see her face, her eyes were red, her lips wobbling and a single tear sliding down her cheek as she blinked.

"You have been tasked with so much, so young, but despite all of it, you`ve never failed to be kind and loving, and strong and responsible, and that`s what makes you, you!" Warren shook her shoulders a little, trying to get her to look at him.

"The truth is, Kendra, you are special. You are the first mortal fairykind in a thousand years, and there is a reason for that. There is a reason that they call you a princess and that they ask so much of you, and I know none of that`s fair, but it's because they`ve seen what you are and what you`re capable of."

"What if I fail? What if I can`t be everything they want me to be?" Kendra whispered, frightened eyes meeting his.

"Then you move on. You hold your head up and you keep going. You keep fighting and trying and failing, because that`s all any of us can do." Warren squeezed her shoulders. "It may not feel like it now, but you will figure it all out, and you don't have to do it alone."

Kendra took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. "I hate feeling like I`m failing."

Warren had to laugh a little at that. "I know Ken, I know. But it won`t feel like that forever. There will be a day where you`re just as sure about yourself as everyone else is."

Kendra rolled her eyes and Warren knew Kendra was back in focus, her mind calming. Warren reached out, playfully tapping her on the head. "Come on, you could do this mission alone, with your eyes closed and both hands tied behind your back. But you don't have to. You have me, and Seth and your family and all the rest of us weirdos living in the same world as you."

Kendra laughed. "Well let`s get on with it then. Agad promised us a hot lunch if we got back in time."

Warren smiled despite himself. The sadness that Kendra had let herself feel for a few moments was still inside her, and it would probably be a long time before it all went away, but Warren knew one thing, and it was that he was going to be by her side no matter what.

Suddenly, just as they got walking again, the radio in Warren`s pocket almost made him trip over a loose rock.

Trask`s voice crackled through the radio. "Everything okay, you two?" Warren looked up to see Kendra looking a little sad still, but as they met eyes, she set her jaw, lifting her chin and answered instead.

"Yeah. We`re on our way to the shrine to complete the mission." Kendra smiled at Warren as he clicked off the radio, putting it back in his pocket.

"And by the way, I know we were mostly kidding earlier about you and Bracken, but if I catch any K-I-S-S-I-N-G-"

"Warren!"

Warren chuckled, stepping over a fallen branch, "Yeah, yeah, you have enough arrows to make me a pincushion."

"Damn straight. And don't forget it either."

Warren smiled as the bronze dome came into view, several tall, stately women and men standing around it, apparently waiting for them. "Yes ma`am."

Kendra shot him a look over her shoulder, one that was still a little bit sad, but a smile now warming her eyes. "That`s princess to you."

* * *

 **And that`s it! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Thank you to FairyGirl22, Jesus saved even me, Wolf Lover27, Phoenix1999 and more for the support, it means so much!**

 **As per usual, if you have any prompts/ideas you`d like to give me, I`d love to hear them!**

 **Happy Monday everyone!**


	16. Relationships

**This one starts out a little rough but it gets better I promise!**

* * *

All couples fight, don't they? But this was different, wasn't it? Weren`t _they_ different? Bracken had hoped so, believed so.

It had been something silly. Something that shouldn't have mattered, but for some reason, to him, it did.

The day had started out so good. Kendra had been visiting the fairy realm and she had been having so much fun. Bracken had taken her to one of his favorite places in the realm, a field of flowers that overlooked a shining lake. They had went swimming in the lake and had a picnic lunch his sister, Ivory had helped him prepare. Kendra looked beautiful, her eyes shining and her laugh harmonious and it made him forget everything else around him. They had spent the entire time talking and laughing and just being… together. Without anyone else to comment on them or to talk about them, and it had been so nice.

That evening after walking back to the castle they had arrived just in time for a dance that was being thrown by the dryads in honor of his sister, Mizelle`s birthday. Kendra had never been to a dryad dance before, and under the glow of the lanterns, seeing her wide eyes and bright smile had made his night. They danced together a little before they were both pulled away from each other, Kendra by his sister Ivory and Bracken by his brother-in-law, Peck, who insisted on talking to each of the old dignitaries that talked too much and only about themselves. The conversations made him miss being with Kendra. With her, it was so much easier. He didn't have to think about what he was saying and calculate his every move. With her, he wasn't afraid to be himself.

Maybe it was because he missed her, or that last old unicorn had been particularly snobbish, making comments about him and his choices that Bracken found difficult to smile through, that put him in a bad mood. He just wanted to find Kendra, and talk to her, maybe dance a little more.

But when he finally saw her again, he ground his teeth when he noticed who she was talking to. It was Darion, a unicorn that had been his rival since they were children. Darion had always gone out of his way to irritate Bracken, to bully him, just because Bracken had always been smaller than him. It had only been when Bracken finally stood up for himself that Darion left him alone. Many years later, and Darion had matured but they still never really got along.

Darion said something that made her laugh, the sound that had always warmed his heart, made it clench. Looking back on it, it was ridiculous, to get angry over something as trivial as a conversation. It had been overkill to pull her away from Darion, without even giving him an excuse, and it hadn't been his place to tell her to stay away Darion, or to imply she had been flirting with him, because it was just a conversation. And when the yelling had started, when she had called him jealous, he denied it, but she had been right. He was jealous.

"You have no right try and tell me what I can and can`t do!" Kendra had been right when she had said that. And when she had insisted that she was only talking to Darion out of civility, Bracken snapped.

"He`s using you!" He had shouted at Kendra, and for a moment, as Kendra shrunk back into herself, he realized that they`d never yelled at each other before. But then as Kendra`s hand shook at her sides, he remembered that if Kendra was anything, it was stubborn.

"You know what, maybe he was. Maybe he was talking to me just to annoy you because he wanted to get back at you, for being such an arrogant, pathetic prince who can`t handle his girlfriend talking to a guy that`s not him!" Kendra fired back, her voice thick with emotion.

It had been then when Bracken had begun to realize that he was being ridiculous, but now that he had woken up the anger in Kendra, it wasn't easy it assuage. His apologies had gone unheard and ignored, Kendra ranting about how she always respected and trusted him and how she deserved the same respect. And she was right, about it all. And none of that made him angry or upset, because she was right. It was her parting words, ones that hit hard and deep in his soul that made it ache.

"It's not my fault you`re a coward Bracken!" With that, she had backed off, perhaps realizing the weight of her words, but before anything else could be said, she walked off, claiming she was going home.

Bracken had gone home early that night. He didn't tell anyone what had happened because even he wasn't too sure about what had happened to them. They were supposed to be better than that weren't they?

All the things that Kendra had said, all the insults she had thrown at him, were all things he heard before, but maybe it was because it had been _her._ Kendra, who affected him so much, who he had let into his heart and soul, who was a part of him. When she said those things, it hit him differently, and perhaps that was the reason when Kendra`s broken, trembling voice reached out to him later that night in his room, as he sat in his bed, trying and failing to fall asleep, he shut her out of his mind without a second thought.

As the days passed him by, his anger and hurt cooled into a deep ache within him. Kendra didn't try to reach out to him again, and he didn't either. For those few days, it really did feel like they would never be able to make-up again, and that terrified him, but for some reason, Bracken couldn't bring himself to apologize, even though it had been him to incite the fight. He also didn't tell anyone else about the fight, even though he was certain that his family suspected it, they said nothing, which he was both grateful for and pained him. When a week passed, and then another one it really did seem like it was the end of their relationship. He`s lost her. Again. He lost the love of his life.

* * *

 _It`s fine Kendra._

 _It`s not fine! Whenever I try and call you, you just ignore me!_ Bracken had to resist the urge to snap back at her, already feeling the pressure build up in his head. Bracken put down the book he`d been trying to read, putting his head in his hands.

 _Kendra… just…_ He truly wasn't sure what to say when Kendra had called upon him, her familiar presence returning to his mind. It was like the start of so many conversations that they had had, and he could almost imagine her, sitting on her bed, his first horn in hand as she finished her homework, telling him about her day.

 _I`m not going to lose you over a stupid argument._ The determination that came along with her thoughts only served to make the ache of pain deepen. He wanted so badly for it to never have happened, for him to have not been so idiotic, or her words to have never cut him so deeply. They were just words, said in the heat of the moment and logically, he knew that, but the way he felt because of it acted like a knife to the chest.

Because of their connection, he was sure Kendra could feel what he did, his message getting across without him even having to say anything. _I can`t do this right now._ He confessed. She was quiet for a moment.

 _You`re supposed to come visit in three weeks. Maybe we can talk then, and figure this out._ Her voice inside his mind was quiet and defeated, and he could feel her shame and hurt. It practically killed him to respond, but he did.

 _I`ll be there._ He was ready to end the conversation, shut off the connection when one last thought from Kendra drifted out to him.

 _I love you._ Squeezing his lips together tightly, trying to ignore the way those words made him want nothing more than to run to her, he tried to focus.

 _I love you too._

* * *

But, unsurprisingly, because it seemed that nothing could go right for Bracken, ever, the three weeks he thought he had to prepare himself for one of the most difficult conversations he could have was cut short.

A week later, Seth reached out to him, and Bracken could feel the mild panic that bubbled under the surface of his words. There was mission, to Living Mirage which had fallen into chaos after a rebellion to help clean up the mess. Stan wanted him to come, practically begged him to when they had talked, insisting that the situation was dire.

And of course, who was he to refuse helping those who had never been anything but kind to him, and after all, the situation was dire.

Kendra was coming, because of course she was. Bracken had been nervous about seeing her again, and what the others would say, but he shouldn't have been. It was Seth who came to walk him back to the house, who tactfully didn't mention Kendra at all, though he was sure Seth knew all about what happened.

Upon arriving at the house, Tanu, Warren, Vanessa, Trask, Mara and Elise greeted him. Not friendly exactly, but polite, which told him that she hadn't told most of the others the extent of their argument. He saw Kendra from across the room, her hair tied up out of the way, dressed in sturdy combat boots, black pants and a red shirt, setting down a backpack that held her gear. She had given him a slight smile from across the room, and had spoken to him civilly enough when it came time to debrief and when they had to interact.

Then it had been onto a plane, where Kendra and Seth sat far away from everyone else, heads together as they talked quietly. If Bracken cared to, he could probably figure out what it was they were talking about, but he didn't try. It wasn't his business. He had caused Kendra enough pain already. As they began to de-plane he handed Kendra her bag as he unloaded. Their hands touched for a moment and before he could feel anything from her, she ripped her hand away, and given that she was currently checking the arrows that rested in her quiver a strapping one knife to her belt and another to her ankle, he decided to stay away.

But even the bow reminded Bracken of another moment. It was an enchanted bow, one that he had given to her, that magically transported back the arrows back into her quiver after she fired. And because he was finding it hard to look at her anymore, he turned away, readying his supplies.

Things went wrong pretty much as soon as they stepped foot on the preserve. A group of cyclops attacked, swinging their clubs and grunting when they missed. The cyclops were only appeased after Bracken stunned them with a flash of light and were promised that their territory would be returned to them after the mess from the rebellion was cleaned up. Then, after a long hike to the main ziggurat, where Agad met them, and explained the situation, the group was split up.

And because it was just his luck, and nothing could go right, he and Kendra were paired together to go and clear out a cave in the territory of the giants that exuded a distracter spell, which only he and Kendra could resist completely. Agad had told them to expect some sort of dark or demonic creature to be in the cave and to attempt to stun the creature and relocate it, but, if it was necessary, to kill it. When Agad told them, Kendra made no sign that she had a problem with this, so if she could be professional enough to let their argument go for the sake of the mission, then so could he. Despite a few odd looks shot at them, they left the group and set off for the cave.

As they walked, Bracken glanced over at Kendra a few times, who seemed to be deep in thought. It was so strange to be with Kendra and not talking to her, but he supposed, this was the situation he put himself in. This was his fault.

"I think this is it." Kendra`s quiet voice stopped him in his tracks. She was standing in front of a cave that matched the description Agad had given him, and judging by how there were no creatures nearby at all, a distracter spell was in effect. Bracken concentrated and was able to feel how the cave exuded a distracting aura.

"This is the one." Bracken glanced at Kendra, who slung her bow off her back, and grabbing an arrow. "Stay behind me and watch my back. Hopefully we`ll be able to see it soon and get his over with." Kendra muttered her assent, stepping back to let him go first. It was distracting, to have her so close, and yet the both of them being the farthest from each other they had ever been, but Bracken tried to put his feelings aside for the sake of the mission.

The cave was dark and cold, with one main cavern that was large enough to be a small house, but as they looked around, nothing seemed to be there at all.

"This is the right cave isn't it?" Kendra asked uncertainly, and though her voice was quiet, it echoed in the silent darkness.

"I thought so." Bracken put out a hand, creating a small ball of light which he sent to hover in the middle of the cavern. The cavern appeared to be empty, rocks and branches strewn around the floor of the cave.

"Well what do we do?" Kendra spoke again, slinging her bow across her back again.

"I-I don't know." Kendra rolled her eyes at that, muttering something as she turned away from Bracken, examining the wall of the cave.

Bracken felt anger surge in his stomach at her attitude. "Have something to say Kendra?"

Kendra`s hand stilled on the wall of the cave before turning around to face Bracken slowly. "I don't know, seems like there`s a lot that needs to be said."

"Like what?" Even as he spoke the words, he regretted them. This random cave in a chaotic preserve was no place to have a relationship argument. But as he saw Kendra`s eyes harden, he knew it was too late anyway.

"Like how you got mad at me for no reason." Kendra`s voice was cool and calm, void of any emotion at all.

"I-"Bracken stopped. Fighting the issue wasn't going to change anything. There _was_ a reason, but not a good one. He`d been jealous. Why couldn't he just admit that?

"There is a reason." Bracken replied evenly, trying to stay calm.

Kendra rolled her eyes, "What could possibly justify you accusing me of flirting with another guy and then forbidding me from talking to him?"

"I was jealous!" Bracken exploded, turning away from Kendra. Looking at her in the eyes made it all so much harder. "I was jealous that you were talking to Darion, and I missed you and I just wanted things to be like they were that day on the lake! I was wrong but…" Bracken ranted. "What you said, it hurt me. Kendra, I love you and you saying those things to me…" Bracken turned around to Kendra, who had been strangely silent. Of course it was now she wouldn't listen to him. "Are you even listening to me?" Then he saw her face. It was red and her mouth was open, gasping for air, eyes popping out, and hands clawing at her throat.

Bracken immediately ran over to Kendra, who dropped to her knees. Her face was starting to turn blue, her lips purple. Now that he was closer he could hear her weak attempts at talking to him. He fell to his knees beside her, desperate to help her. Kendra was dying!

"Brack…" Kendra gasped out, her hand rising, pointing to the corner of the cave. Turning to that corner, he drew his horn from his belt, turning it into a pearlescent sword. In the corner was a snarling, human like creature, with oily, green, and mottled skin. It hand was raised in a curled position, finger closing. Bracken threw himself at the creature. He didn't know what it was at first glance, or how to beat it, but all he knew was that he had to save Kendra. As he charged the creature, it dropped its hand and Bracken heard the beautiful sound of Kendra drawing in a breath of air.

The creature darted away from Bracken`s sword, drawing a massive ax from behind a pile of rocks. As the two fought, he glimpsed Kendra kneeling on the floor of the cave, barely moving. The creature swung the ax in wide, sweeping motions, and though Bracken was the better swordsmen, he was distracted by Kendra who he was sure needed help. The ax sliced into Bracken`s leg, and he fell to the ground, his sword falling from his hand. The creature backed him up against the wall of the cave, and as he raised the ax over his head, Bracken closed his eyes. He was going to die in a cave while he was fighting with his girlfriend.

But the blow never came, and Bracken`s eyes snapped open to see Kendra, knife in hand, bow completely forgotten, wrestling with the creature who had another knife sticking out of its back. All he could do was watch as the creature kicked Kendra in the ribs, hard, throwing her against the wall of the cave. He tried to get up, but the blood flowing out his leg made him still. But Kendra didn't need him, as the creature got close again, she pulled a second knife from her belt, stabbing it in the throat. The creature stilled, falling back, gagging and snarling until it went still.

"Kendra! Are you alright?" Bracken shouted, ignoring the pounding pain in his head and how his words wanted to slur together and tried to focus on her.

"Yeah. Fine." Kendra pulled herself up, wincing as she got to her feet. She began to head over to him, moving slowly.

"Kendra?" Bracken asked again, hating how weak his voice sounded, but he was afraid. His vision was going black around the edges and his head swam.

"Hey, hey, you need to stay awake." Suddenly, Kendra was at his side, sliding his horn into his hand. He felt a surge of energy through him, enough to let him open his eyes to watch Kendra slice his pants off his leg with a knife, wrapping it with gauze she must have gotten from her bag and taping it in place as best as she could. The gauze was already wet with more blood, but his horn was healing him now, the blood flow slowing, and as Kendra collapsed into the wall of the cave beside him, sliding down the wall, he felt almost coherent.

Kendra hissed in pain as she settled against the wall, clutching her stomach. The skin around her neck was already bruising, purple, blue and yellow mottling her usually perfect skin.

For several long moments, they simply sat next to each other, trying to control their frantic breathing. Across the cave, the creature lay still and Bracken tried to focus on Kendra. Her hands and clothes were covered in his blood, the silver mixing with her own red blood from the cuts that bled freely on her hands. Without thinking, he slid his hand into Kendra`s and she stiffened for a moment before relaxing, scooting over to lay her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her and they sat together for a while longer before Bracken spoke.

"I`m so sorry Kendra. I was wrong to mistrust you like that and to have started all of this. I`m so, so sorry." Bracken dropped his head against Kendra`s eyes closing.

"I`m sorry too. What I said… it wasn't true. None of it."

And for the first time since they had had their fight, Bracken felt himself truly relax, and despite the pain in his leg, he knew for the first time in weeks, they were going to be okay.

* * *

"Kendra?" Bracken knocked on the frame of the attic doorway, asking for permission to come in.

Kendra looked up from the book she had been reading and smiled. "Hey. Come on in." Her voice was hushed but sincere. Bracken took her invitation, approaching her bed and sitting down on its edge. After the incident in the cave, Kendra and Bracken had finally been able to get back to the ziggurat, leaning on each other. A day later and Bracken, Kendra and Seth were on their way home. Bracken had healed completely even before he got on the plane, but Kendra was still healing. During the fight with the creature Kendra had broken several ribs and got a mild concussion, not to mention severe bruising to her esophagus, resulting in her having to whisper when she spoke.

"How are you feeling?" Kendra smiled again, nodding as she caught his hand, pulling him closer. On the plane ride home, he had sat with Kendra and Seth, like everything was back to normal. They had yet to talk more about their fight, but it seemed, for the time being, they were fine. Bracken obliged, scooting closer to her, sitting across from her, her legs slung over his.

"It only hurts when I talk… or move, or breathe." Kendra joked, sitting up a little more, wincing as she did so. She let Bracken help her, putting a pillow behind her back to support her.

"Oh so back to normal then?" Bracken teased, reaching out and touched the bruises on her neck. Kendra`s neck was mottled intense bruising, yellow and blue and black and purple, and she didn't say so, but he knew it hurt her. She rolled her eyes, playfully covering his hand with her own.

"You know I`ll be alright." Bracken nodded as he dropped his hand, leaning back against the wall her bed was set against, remembering. The way she had looked when she was being choked, the look of terror as she desperately tried to breathe, and the way she sobbed for breath after she had been released.

"I`m sorry." Bracken wasn't sure how else to start the conversation, but he knew that she would know what he was talking about.

Kendra grinned at him, "You mentioned that."

"I mean it."

"I know. I do too. Every word." Kendra`s eyes were intense, dark with emotion and he swallowed. As hard as it would be to explain his feelings, he could put aside his pride for her, always for her.

"I-"He wasn't sure how to start this, but Kendra squeezed his hands, her face calm and kind. "I was wrong to ever question you. I- I was jealous and in a bad mood and I took that out on you. That was wrong. I was wrong. I was being an idiot and I should have talked through it first without getting angry. I was wrong to do that, and I`m so, so sorry." The sad smile on Kendra`s face gave him the courage to keep going, to say everything, even if all of it wasn't nice. She deserved the truth, all of it.

"But when you said those things to me, ignored what I was saying." Bracken swallowed, not wanting to get too emotional. "I know people say that about me, but I`ve never- never taken it to heart until when you said it, I mean I- I love you and hearing you-"Bracken cut himself off, hating how tears filled his eyes.

"Hey, hey, look at me." Kendra`s voice was hard and determined, she took Bracken`s face in her hands gently, her hand on the side of his neck. "What I said about you was _not_ true. It was something so stupid and mean I said because I felt that way. I felt pathetic and cowardly and I was hurt and I was trying so hard to not let you see that. But what I said, is so far from the truth." Bracken saw as a tear slid down her cheek, but she continued anyway. "You are amazing. You are selfless and kind and brave and one of the best things to ever have happened to me." Kendra leaned her head forward, until it touched his, foreheads against one another. "I`m so sorry I hurt you, and I`m so sorry I didn't listen."

For a long moment, neither of them moved or talked much, both regaining control of their emotions. Bracken broke the silence.

"I was afraid…" He trailed off. "I was afraid that I lost you." Kendra sniffled a little, leaning back to look him in the eyes.

"I thought I did." Her tone filled in all the things she didn't say. The shame and guilt, the hurt and the longing, all the exact same things he had been feeling. If only they had just talked, gotten over their stubborn pride, none of this would have happened. Kendra`s eyes shone with tears, and now he had run out of things to say, so as he touched his lips against hers, he tried to transmit to her what words couldn't possibly say. As her tear dripped onto his cheek, he knew that she understood. Bracken pulled back, just watching her now. She had calmed, her eyes still red, but as she settled against her pillows, pain flickered across her face and he saw her wince even more as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Why don`t we watch a movie or something? Something that doesn't involve talking… or moving?" Despite the situation, Bracken found himself chuckling, Kendra`s eyes rolling and it was like everything was back to the way it had been before. But as he fetched her laptop and settled against her pillows with her in his arms, her picking a movie he hadn't seen, but one that she promised he would love, he realized that things weren't back to the way they had been.

Not exactly. There was something else there with them as they settled back to watch the movie. It wasn't bad, not really, just different. All couples fight. And Bracken was alright with that.

Couples fight because love was not easy or perfect. They fight because love took work and care and communication. They fight because no one was perfect. Not even a unicorn, or a fairy princess. But he and Kendra, they _were_ different, they were strange and unconventional, but at the end of the day they loved each other. And as long as she was willing to fight for their love, so was he.

All couples fight, and there`s nothing wrong with that.

* * *

 **Life lessons here, truly.**

 **Thank you so much for reading everyone! This will likely be my last chapter here for a few weeks. I start school very, very soon so I will be very busy with that, but I promise I will still be around. My plan is to try and post once a month at least, if not more.**

 **Also, in other news, my other project is going quite well and I plan to post it by the end of the year at the latest. If you like more novel based stories than I hope you will go and check it out! It is a direct sequel to the original Fablehaven series (ignoring Dragonwatch) and is something that has been floating around in my head for quite a while.**

 **Thank you to Fairy Girl22, Wolf Lover27 and so many more for the support on this story! If you ever have any ideas or prompts you`d like me to write, I`d love to hear them!**

 **Bye! I`ll see you again soon!**


	17. Hallucinations Pt 1

**HELLO! I am so glad to finally be back on here and posting (even though it`s almost the end of the year)! The past few months have been pretty difficult for me personally, which is why I was gone for much longer than my original intention of a few weeks. But I`m back and will be posting at least two more chapters by the end of year!**

 **Now onto a few things about this chapter. This follows the storyline of the third book in the Dragonwatch series, and is my take on Bracken`s perspective during it (with some added drama of course).** **So if you haven't read the most recent book or the series at all, this will spoil it and also make no sense at all.**

 **Thirdly, some/most of the dialogue is taken directly from the Dragonwatch book, so I definitely DO NOT own that, Brandon Mull does!**

 **Thank you for reading this really long authors note, and sticking around.**

 **Part 2 will be coming on Thanksgiving (Thursday of this week for my non-Americans)!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The first time Bracken saw her, he was stupid enough to really believe that it was her. That she had found him, and she was going to save him, again.

But as he watched her shy away from the hand he stretched out to her, he realized that he was wrong. She wasn't there. He was alone. It hit him so hard for the first time that he sat down, hard on the floor of his cage, head in his hands.

"Why so glum Brack?" Kendra's smile lit up the darkness, but he felt his heart ache when he saw it.

"Whatever you are, leave me alone." His voice was coarse and strangled but he couldn't find it within himself to care.

"Well that's rude." He saw her walk over and sit in front of him, folding her legs. Despite himself, he looked up. She had a concerned expression on her face, the muscles on her forehead tensed and for a moment, just a moment, he could imagine that they were somewhere else, sitting in one of the pavilions at Fablehaven or in her room, as she did her homework and they talked. Sometimes about nothing too important, other times about their pasts, his father, or her parents disapproval of Fablehaven. But this wasn't real. Of course it wasn't.

"You do know sulking won't make any of this better, right?" He almost had to laugh at that, but then he remembered where they were. Where he was. In the under realm, alone, at the mercy of his cousin, Ronodin who hated him.

"Oh come on Bracken, you're better than this." Her voice hardened into something more determined.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked hoarsely. "I'm trapped. Again. In the Under Realm. I'll never get out of here. I'll die here."

She looked briefly annoyed again. "Well certainly with that attitude you will."

Then he heard footsteps, so loud in the silence they were like gunshots. Ronodin and his little posse of assorted dark creatures. He didn't bother getting to his feet. Ronodin wasn't worth it.

"Whatever you're trying to do, don't bother. I know she's not real." Bracken didn't look up at his cousin as he neared his cage.

"You know, for once I have actually no idea what you're talking about." Ronodin paused for a moment. "Care to enlighten me?"

Bracken raised his eyes to his cousin's. "Stop with the mind games. You already have me here in a cage. Are so insecure you need to make me feel insane to be satisfied for once?"

Ronodin smirked, "Again, dear cousin, I have no idea what you're talking about. But it seems to me that something has finally got to you."

Bracken closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, his heart stuttered in his chest. There she was, leaning against the bars of the cage, scowling at Ronodin. He didn't even look at her, even when she strode around him, to the back of the cage.

"Leave me to rot in peace." And so he did, his cousin leaving him alone, the oppressive silence pressing in once more.

"Well isn't he a bundle of joy?" Suddenly Kendra was in front of him once more and he had to resist the urge to get excited. She wasn't here. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't Kendra.

That terrified him more than anything. He chose not to respond, instead, laying down on his side, facing away from her. She didn't seem to mind.

"You should really get some sleep." Kendra asserted. She began to hum, and slowly, slowly sleep came to him.

"Why are you here?" Bracken sat across from Kendra, who wasn't really Kendra, while she watched him. She had shown up, slipping through the bars of the cage as a lich came and slid a plate of food through the small opening in the cage, but hadn't said a word to her yet.

For a brief moment, she looked surprised before she grinned a little. "Finally talking to me then?"

Bracken refused to let his voice falter this time. "I want to know what you are and why you're here." _And I want you to go away because you remind me of the real_ _you,_ Bracken thought desperately.

Kendra leaned forward. "I'm here because you need me. That's all." Locking eyes with her, he could feel himself relax just the tiniest bit, a little against his will.

"I've survived hundreds of years of this on my own. What makes you think I need you?"

Kendra shook her head. "Not here you haven't. This is Under Realm, and a completely different beast altogether." She leaned back and directed her gaze to the food which lay a few feet from them. "You should eat."

"What, now you're my mother?" Kendra's smile didn't even falter as she stood, walking over to the bars of the cage.

"Eat. And I'll see you soon." She slipped through the bars and walked off into the darkness.

Bracken watched her go and then got to his feet, examining the plate on the floor. It looked like some kind of tough meat, sprouts and a dark roll of bread and since it didn't smell too bad, and he had eaten much worse, he took a bite, assuming that if Ronodin was going to kill him, it was going to be more theatrical than poisoning. He supposed he didn't care either way.

He was doomed anyway.

* * *

Days past, he thought… It was so difficult to tell the time here. He knew that he got tired and slept, his own internal chronometer telling him that the days passed, but really, he had no idea. He hadn't seen the sun in what felt like years, and while Bracken knew that, logically, not that much time could have passed, he wasn't sure. The Under Realm was a strange place.

And every day, without fail, he saw Kendra, or at least what looked like Kendra. She always showed up, wearing the same clothes and smelling the same, clean, like flowers and cotton.

Bracken didn't talk a lot. He left that to Kendra. She didn't seem to mind. She seemed perfectly happy to fill the monotonous hours with words, complaining about the Under Realm, speculating about Ronodin, and telling him stories, stories he had heard before, but he didn't protest. It made it much easier to endure his imprisonment to not feel so alone, even if he was plagued with a phantom of the girl he loved.

But one day, Kendra had been sulking, not moving or speaking much. When he asked what was wrong, she simply shook her head, scowling and stared off into the darkness beyond the cage. Bracken had tried to shrug it off, and continued with the workout routine he had perfected during his time at Living Mirage to keep in shape. Suddenly, Kendra stood up.

"Something`s coming." She moved to the bars of the cage, putting her hands on them. Kendra could move between the bars out of the cage, but whenever he tried, he was thrown backwards by an unseen force.

"What do you mean?" Bracken wondered as he moved to stand beside her. Something was moving the darkness, he was sure but what it was he couldn't tell. Then he saw. It was that lich, Ezabar who oversaw the prison. Bracken had only seen him once or twice and he didn't speak much, but behind him, Bracken saw someone he thought he recognized, and that made his heart sink into his stomach. Beside him, Kendra remained scowling at the pair.

"Seth?" Bracken called out to the boy. "Could it really be you?" He turned to Ezabar, regarding him suspiciously. "Surely this is a ruse."

"The visitor wishes to speak with you. He is favored by the Underking and you will show him the respect he deserves." The lich spoke dispassionately before turning, leaving him and Seth alone.

"Favored by the Underking? What does that even mean?" Beside him, Kendra voiced his thoughts. Seth made no sign that he had heard Kendra speak, so Bracken tried to focus on Seth.

"Who are you?" Bracken asked, as Seth stepped closer, still staying a decent distance from the cage.

"That is the question." It certainly sounded like Seth, though not all with the tone Seth normally used towards him. They were friends. Good friends.

"The real Seth Sorenson would not be here. He is fulfilling an assignment far away and has no connection to the Underking. Show me your true form!"

The boy in front of him looked truly surprised at that. Curious even. "What kind of assignment?"

"He does sound actually confused, doesn't he?" Kendra murmured.

Bracken chose not to answer Seth`s question, instead posing some of his own. "Are you an illusion? Or a replica, like a stingbulb? I can`t get a read on you." He looked too much like the real Seth to be anything else.

"I`m a real person." Seth clarified. "I`m a kid with no memory of his childhood. I have questions about myself. I was told a prisoner here might know me."

"You can`t be the person you look like. How did you get here?" Kendra strolled to the other side of cage, slipping out between the bars, walking directly up to Seth, only a few inches away from him. Bracken fought to keep his focus on Seth.

"A wooden puppet put me in a barrel."

"Mendigo?" Bracken blurted out before he could stop himself. How would one of the barrels have gotten here?" Bracken had helped set up those barrels himself.

"You know about the barrels that work like teleporters?"

"Dual manifestations of the same barrel. You can go into one and get pulled from another."

"Sounds right." Seth was watching him carefully. Something was different about this Seth Sorenson. The person he knew was almost never careful about anything. He was brash and bold and he made decisions quickly. This person in front of him was muted, cautious and afraid. "I have almost no memories before coming here. I was in a castle with a girl who called herself Kendra." Seth admitted.

Speaking of Kendra, the girl he saw was frowning at her brother. "I can`t believe he doesn't remember me!"

"This is an act." Bracken began backing away from the boy. Kendra and Seth were a pair, always together and trusted each other more than anything in the world. Seth couldn't have forgotten how much they loved each other. "Are you telling me you forgot Kendra?"

"Should I remember more about her? She claimed to be my sister." He didn't sound like he believed it, and it made Bracken`s heart ache.

"If you`re serious, take my hand and grant me full permission to search your mind." Bracken took a chance, stepping forward and reaching through the bars to Seth. If the boy took his hand, then he could know for sure if it was true. If Seth was really here.

"That doesn't sound smart." Seth considered Bracken closely, his eyes cold and suspicious. "Why are you in here?"

"You should know me well." Bracken wanted to scream, and run away from this.

"I can`t remember anything. I don't know who I can trust." Sadness entered the boy`s tone.

"I`m in here because my cousin has a score to settle with me." Bracken responded bitterly.

"Who is your cousin?"

"Ronodin, the dark unicorn." Bracken replied.

"I know him. He has been tutoring me."

"Oh my god." Kendra uttered the words, horror in her tone. The pain her eyes was palpable and Bracken`s heart began to squeeze.

"This is sick." Bracken closed him eyes, shaking his head. His hand hung between the bars, limp.

"Are you a dark unicorn too?" Seth`s voice was too casual for the situation they were in.

"Ronodin is the only dark unicorn. I am his cousin, Bracken a true unicorn, and a friend to you and your sister." Bracken spoke carefully and slowly.

"You mean Kendra?"

"Yes, and your only sister, Kendra." He insisted, willing Seth to believe him. "I`m a unicorn. You can trust me! We don't lie. I`m not trying to trick you or harm you. Let me see your mind. Maybe I can help you remember."

Bracken could see Seth beginning to consider it. "How do I know you`re really a unicorn?"

"Did you notice how the presence of the lich did not affect me?" Bracken stressed, keeping his hand stretched towards Seth.

"That might just mean you`re powerful. Turn into a horse and show me." Bracken`s heart tightened. _Only if you knew how much I wish I could._ Bracken thought desperately.

"I need my third horn for that." He fought to keep calm.

"Unicorns only have one horn."

"You really have forgotten a lot. We shed our first two horns, kind of like humans losing baby teeth. Kendra has my first horn. Ronodin overpowered me and took my second."

"Where is your third?" Bracken winced a little internally.

"It`s part of a talisman called the Font of Immortality. Seth you`re searching right now. You came to me because this place doesn't feel right. Go with those instincts. Don't trust a dark unicorn. I`m not sure anyone is less trustworthy than Ronodin."

"I have dark powers." Bracken felt his heart shrink a little.

"Of course he would use your powers as evidence. You`re a shadow charmer. You speak arcane languages, you can hide in shadows and you once had an ally who was a demon." Bracken stepped a little but closer to him. "But you never chose spiritual darkness, Seth. You fought it. Let me see if I can help you."

"I still don't know if you`re really a unicorn." Bracken could see the conflict in his face, more apparent than ever.

"You`re choosing the wrong time to be cautious." Bracken couldn't believe that he was even saying that, to Seth of all people. "I don't get visitors. You may not be allowed to stay for long. Look around. Almost everyone in this realm wants to drain your life force. You may be able to communicate with the undead but your best bet to find an actual friend here is among the prisoners."

"Are all the prisoners safe?"

"Absolutely not. But most of the poor individuals encaged down here are more likely to help you then liches or dark unicorns would be." Bracken hoped his sincerity shone through. He wanted this person, whoever he was, to be Seth, to be his friend. Then he could at least be sure that he wasn't going crazy, or at least, completely crazy. "I truly am a friend of yours, and I know many in your family- unless you are deceiving me. I`ll speak more feely when I know you really are who you appear to be." Seth rocked back and forth a little, before speaking.

"Fine. You can look at my mind. But don't mess with it." Seth took his hand, and instantly a wave of familiarity came over him. He searched for memories, ones that were close to him; Kendra, Zzyxx, anything. He felt his emotions, fear, confusion, caution, grief and despair, curiosity. But… besides that, there was nothing

"You`re almost blank. Seth, this is really you."

"What can you see?" He sounded genuinely curious, as he pulled his hand from Bracken`s. Staring at the boy in front of him, the one whose eyes were alive with fear, his heart darkened in a way no one that young should ever have to feel.

"You`re not a phony. You have a lot of general knowledge. But your identity is gone, along with all of your specific memories from before your mind was wiped. It`s like you were born this week." It was almost hard to believe, but considering where they were, he was fairly certain he knew who was behind it.

"That's how it feels. Who am I?" Seth asked.

"You`re Seth Sorenson, Co-caretaker of the dragon sanctuary Wyrmroost, alongside your sister, Kendra and assisted by your grandparents." Seth didn't react at all, only narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Caretaker of a dragon sanctuary?" He said it like he couldn't believe something like that could ever happen. It shouldn't have.

"That's right. A weighty responsibility for one so young."

"What am I doing here?" Bracken glanced around a little at the darkness surrounding his cage, the absolute silence pressing in closer.

"I can only assume you`ve been kidnapped by your enemies."

"Ronodin acts like he rescued me." Bracken had to resist rolling his eyes at that. Rescue.

"Look around. Do you feel rescued? Pay close attention. Do you really think he`s your friend?"

"I don't know. Probably not a friend. Maybe a teacher. Or an ally. Either of you could be tricking me." Bracken could see this wasn't going to go anywhere productive. He would have to try a different approach. It was information that Seth wanted, Bracken could provide that at least.

"It's funny, you and I first met in a prison." He stepped back from the bars, stretching his arms. Seth tried to act disinterested, but Bracken knew him well enough to see through that.

"Was I the prisoner?"

"We both were, of the Sphinx." Instantly, it was like a switch had flipped, as Seth shut down, backing away from the cage, something like suspicion taking over his expression.

"Wait a minute, you almost had me going, then you pushed it too far." Bracken`s heart dropped a little. It had been going so well.

"What`s so strange about meeting in a prison?" Bracken tried to act nonchalant, as if he hadn't noticed that Seth was eyeing him with something like fear.

"I`ve only really talked to three people since losing my memory. You happen to bring up all of them? Kendra, Ronodin and the Sphinx? She`s good, they`re bad?" Now that was interesting, that the Sphinx was involved.

"When did you see the Sphinx?" Bracken tried desperately to think of the last time that he had seen the man, it was at Living Mirage, maybe, as he swore fealty to them.

"Don't play dumb. You saw into my mind when I took your hand. That's why you worked the Sphinx into the conversation." If Seth was anything, he was quick. Smart, clever and intuitive.

"I wasn't searching your recent memories. I don't see everything in an instant. I was checking to see whether it was really you. When did you run into the Sphinx?" It was difficult to ignore the accusatory tone in Seth`s voice and to not reflect utter despair that he had been so close to convincing Seth.

"You`re messing with me."

"I`m not. He is a shadow charmer and one of the most dangerous men alive. We fought him together when he tried to open the demon prison, Zzyxx." Bracken hoped those words would stir a reaction, but there was nothing at all.

"Playing dumb makes you less believable. You saw him helping me."

"Take my hand, and I`ll look." Bracken stepped to the bars again, reaching out to Seth who flinched away from him.

"No way. I don't know what you might do to me this time, now that I`m onto you."

"How did the Sphinx help you?" Bracken needled, Seth who seemed a little perturbed now muttered his response.

"We released some undead from a well." A well…? It couldn't be. Bracken could hide the horror he knew was written all over his face. It was difficult to get the next words out.

"Not the Blackwell."

"Yes."

"Oh Seth," Bracken covered his mouth with his hands, stepping away from this boy, the boy that was like a brother to him, one that very well may have killed everyone in Blackwell Keep. "What have you done?"

Seth seemed to realize that what he had said wasn't as casual as he thought. "The undead were suffering down there."

"Blackwell Keep is the central stronghold of Wyrmroost, the sanctuary you swore to protect. Did you give the undead unlimited access?"

"Just the castle and roads." Seth made an effort to speak like he was bored, but he was far from it, Bracken knew. He flinched a little, trying to meet Seth eyes.

"The roads? Did you see the results?"

"We left quickly. An old wizard saw me as we left. He told me I had been fooled." Seth replied uncomfortably.

"That is an understatement. Seth you cannot trust your captors. Who know what else they may have you do? You have endangered your sister, your grandparents- all the innocents at Wyrmroost." Bracken couldn't keep the scolding tone out of his voice. Seth shifted anxiously, and this time, when he spoke, his confidence was gone.

"I see why Ronodin told me you`re dangerous."

Bracken heard his cousin before he saw him, as he rounded the boulder, intense calm on his face, a smirk firmly in place. "Excellent conclusion." He came to stand beside Seth, who relaxed as he realized Ronodin was taking over the conversation, sinking back into the edges of the shadows.

"What have you done?" Bracken snarled, his hands closing on the bars.

Ronodin smiled, devious and arrogant. "Don`t be a sore loser Bracky." That nickname, that stupid nickname made his hands loosen slightly as he thought of once upon a time, when they had all been children, running through the gardens without a care in the world. "Seth it was unwise to come here. You are talking to one of the deadliest con men in the world."

"That`s what he said about you." Bracken was glad that Seth still sounded suspicious, even if it was of both him and Ronodin.

Ronodin`s lips thinned, his smirk sharpening. "No surprise. Mister light-makes-right would purge the world of darkness if he could. He finds your powers disgusting. He`d crush us both like cockroaches, given the chance."

Bracken tried to steady himself. Talking to Ronodin would do him no good. He was beyond reason, but Seth wasn't. He chose to speak to him, forcing calm. "Ronodin is the liar."

Ronodin laughed, the sound cruel and harsh. "You would tell whatever story might free you in order to destroy me." The dark unicorn turned to Seth, "I, on the other hand, have spared the life of this criminal, as you can see Seth. Bounds his wounds, locked him up safe and sound." Bracken decided to ignore his cousin. It had always worked on him as children, why not now?

"You must find out who you are Seth." He implored, meeting the boy`s eyes.

"Many voices will try to persuade you of your identity. Your memory loss has been widely publicized. All of your worst memories will try to win you to their side- Kendra, Bracken and the rest." Ronodin was grasping, just like he was. But Bracken didn't want to control Seth, he wanted to help him.

"You`re not like Ronodin, Seth. Watch him control what you see and hear. Study his maneuverings. He`s putting on a show and you are in grave danger of hurting yourself and others."

"Enough of this abusive manipulation. I`m not trying to blind or deafen Seth. To the contrary, I`m helping him hone his powers. I`m trying to protect him from liars while he reacquaints himself with his true nature. You are shadow charmer Seth. You are here among your kind. According to Bracken, if it waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a horse." He found he could no longer focus on Seth, he turned to his cousin, who`s eyes burned with fury, all concealed under a thin layer of bravado.

"This is low, even for you Ronodin." His cousin`s eyes betrayed him for a split second, as insecurity battled anger.

Ronodin waved him off. "Few prisoners adore their captors. I hold Bracken down here for the good of the world. I hope the day arrives when it will be safe to free him. Come Seth. You have already spent too much time ingesting this poison." The man turned, already done with Bracken, trusting that Seth would follow. Of course he would. Who would stay down here willingly?

Seth began to back away. "Stay sane down here." He sounded wary. Unsure, confused.

"Remember what I told you." Bracken kept his face pressed against the bars until the two of them were out of sight, their conversation too far off even for his keen ears to hear. Bracken stumbled back, forcing his shaking hands to release the death grip he had on the bars of the cage, sinking to floor, putting his head in his hands.

Seth. Poor, poor Seth. He was down here, all alone without any help at all, with Ronodin as a mentor, and everyone else, did they even know? Did they know where they were? Were they even looking? Were any of them still alive? Bracken`s minds spun in circles for what felt like hours, but as the moments ticked by, a traitor tear dropping into his lap, he heard something that made him look up.

"Well that went well." Kendra rested her back against the bars of the cage, elbow propped on her knee, like she hadn't a care in the world. He missed her so much it hurt, but he swallowed back the wave of despair that threatened to overcome him.

"Where were you?" He didn't bother to try and conceal the emotion in his voice. What was the point?

"Around." Kendra waved her hands vaguely. "So, Seth… he certainly has changed."

Bracken lifted his head. "He`s like a completely new person."

Kendra`s head tilted a little. "Not exactly. A new version, I`d say."

"Do you think he`ll do the right thing?" He closed his eyes.

"No." His eyes shot open, to look at Kendra. She amended her words. "I think he`s going to make a lot of mistakes trying to figure out who exactly he is. But he`s smart, clever, intuitive, but most of all, he`s kind." Kendra scooted closer to Bracken and he let his eyes fall shut once more. He could almost feel her hand on his shoulder. "He`ll do the right thing. I believe in him."

"I want to." Bracken could only whisper the words, pressing his lips together as a tear fell onto them. "But I`m afraid. I`m afraid what Ronodin will do, I`m afraid I`ll die here."

Kendra sounded like she was smiling. "I think if you weren't, you`d be a fool. But you`re not. You`ve survived so much Bracken." Her grip tightened. "Do not let him make you afraid. Do not let him defeat you."

"How can I? I`m stuck here! Everyone I love could be dead. There is no hope. Ronodin would sooner let himself be eaten by a dragon then let me go." Bracken stood up quickly, leaving Kendra on the floor. "I`m alone."

"I`m here." Her voice was almost a whisper and he strode across the cage away from her.

"What are you then? If you`re here for me, then tell me the truth! What are you?" Bracken almost screamed the words, striking the bars with his fists, which only served to open the already tender wounds on his hands. He swore under his breath, examining his hands. He remembered what Seth had said. _Stay sane down here._

Bracken turned, only to find the cage empty, Kendra gone, and he, alone.

 _Stay sane down here._

So much for that.

* * *

 **Again, part 2 will be released on Thanksgiving (the 28** **th** **of November)!**

 **Huge, huge thank you to Wolf Lover 27, FairyGirl22, and Jesus Saved even me! You guys are amazing and make me smile so so much!**

 **(Also writing this took a week of my life and at least 5 years off my life, please come back and read the next part haha thanks bye!)**

 **Happy Sunday!**


	18. Hallucinations Pt 2

**And we`re back for part 2! If you are just seeing this, make sure to go and check out part 1, or this will make NO sense.**

 **Also, this follows the storyline of the third book in Dragonwatch, so if you haven't read it, THIS WILL SPOIL YOU. This is Bracken`s perspective on his time spent during Dragonwatch, Master of the Phantom Isle! This does pull come dialogue directly from the book and I definitely do not own it!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Every day after that, Bracken saw Kendra less and less, only seeing her when he was about to drift off to sleep and when he was still half-asleep after he woke up, and only saw echoes of her. She almost always turned away from him. What he felt, the pain, the despair, the hopelessness it was more intense then what he had ever help before. And Kendra had been right before, how the Under Realm was much different than Living Mirage. As the darkness lurked at the edges of his cage, it almost felt like he could drown in it sometimes.

But the new parts of the puzzle that Seth revealed kept his mind busy as he kept his body strong. He ate everything they gave him on his tray, and exercised as often as he felt himself get bored.

And despite it all, Kendra still lurked at the back of his mind. Her quiet words, his fury. He had become, even for just a second, the very thing he always fought against. A monster. It was in the moments of stillness, before he fell asleep, as he waited for his meals when those thoughts came to him. He did his best to push them away, but they were always there, always plaguing his fatigued mind.

The night that Kendra came to him was not special in any way. It had been, in his best estimate, two weeks since Seth had come to visit. He was almost certain it had been either longer or shorter in the upper world, but this was the schedule he lived by now. He lived on the time of Underking.

"Kendra?" Bracken rested on his cot, sitting up as she came to the bars of the cage, slipping through them silently. She looked the same as ever, her brown hair pulled back, green eyes shining.

A slight smile curled her lips. "You look strong." Her eyes raked over him for a moment, her grin widening. "Good."

"I haven't seen you in a while." He spoke carefully, not daring to move as Kendra came to sit on his cot across from him.

She considered him for a moment. "You haven't needed me."

"I was afraid I`d scared you away." Bracken admitted, turning to face her, folding his legs in front of him.

"It`s hard to scare me. We`ve been through a lot together." Bracken laughed a little. She wasn't wrong.

"So, tell me. What exactly has triggered this change in mindset?" She rested her elbow on her knee, a gentle smile tugging at her lips.

He watched her for a moment, thinking carefully. What had changed?

"I don't know." He said slowly. "When I yelled at you, I saw something in myself. Something I saw in Ronodin all those years ago, when he first went dark."

"How so?"

"He felt alone. Unwanted, unloved, misunderstood." Bracken looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap. They shook only slightly, but he doubted they wouldn't stop for quite a while.

"Do you feel that way?"

Bracken looked up her, "Well I am, aren't I?"

"You aren't alone Bracken." She spoke quietly, eyes locked on his intensely.

"Kendra." She acknowledged him with a single nod. The next words made his throat dry. What are you?"

Her smile dimmed a little. "What do you think I am?"

"An apparition? A phantom? You know things about me that no one else besides Kendra would. You`re not a stingbulb, because you would have expired by now."

"What a logical way to look at it." Kendra sat back, her eyes twinkling. "I think you know what I am. I think you`ve always know, but you`d never admit it to yourself."

Bracken closed his eyes, sorrow washing over him. "You aren't here at all." He waited for Kendra to correct him, but she didn't. "You`re a hallucination. A figment of my imagination."

"And why is that bad?" He blinked, Kendra coming back into focus.

She continued. "I came here to help you Bracken, because you needed me." Her voice pitched even lower. "You have faced truly terrible, truly awful things, and against all odds, you survived. But you needed help, desperately. You were drowning, and you needed a lifeline. You needed something to hold on to. Kendra is that for you. She is your lifeline because you love her, and you miss her terribly, so your mind had to compensate." She leaned away from him. "I am you. You are me. That is what I am."

For a long time, the two sat in perfect silence and Bracken pondered her words.

"You aren't wrong." Bracken finally spoke. Now that she said it, the truth was undeniable.

"Of course not. We`re better than that." Bracken had to laugh and she did as well, the sound of laughter beautiful in the empty stillness.

Kendra sat up. "Something is coming." She looked out at the room his cage sat in. "You feel it, deep within you."

He looked up. "Do I?"

Kendra stood up. "Of course you do." She walked to edge of the cage, slipping through its bars, like she had so many times before. He followed her, a hand coming up to rest on the bars.

"I suppose this is goodbye then." He watched her turn, sinking back into the darkness.

Her smile lit up the shadows. "Is it really?" Then all at once, just as quick as she had come, she was gone.

For a brief moment the darkness seemed to press in just a little bit tighter, and then footsteps broke the silence. Not the nearly soundless ones of the liches that brought him his food, but ones like Seth and Ronodin. Of a living person. The sounds got closer until he saw something incredible.

Light. Blinding, shining light. Like a lighthouse, no, like the sun, like a supernova… could I be?

He got as close as he could to the bars, searching for the light`s source. It was… Kendra? She was as radiant as ever, a canvas bag on her shoulder, wearing black pants and gray t-shirt. Her curly hair was damp, but resting on the crown of her head was a beautiful silver circlet, inlaid with jewels. It was something he had only seen in the possession of his mother. How could she have it? Her eyes glowed beneath the crown, and happiness lit up her gaze. She ran to the cage, resting her hands on the bars.

"Please let this be real." He knew his voice was ragged, but she didn't seem to mind.

"It`s me. I have permission to let you out." It was then Bracken knew, he felt that this was Kendra. The real thing, not a hallucination, but Kendra Sorenson, come to save him.

"What are you wearing?" Bracken rushed out, tripping over his words. "Don`t answer that. I`m fully aware, just astonished. Will you take my hand and give me permission to see your thoughts? This seems too good to be true."

Without hesitation, Kendra put her hand in his. "Sure, but you can`t look at my negotiation with the Underking. It was part of the deal."

Still marveling at how she was here, actually here, he scanned her mind. It was Kendra, undoubtedly. The light she gave off invigorated him, gave him energy. The haze he had been living in disappeared.

"I don`t believe it. How did you manage this?" He kept hold of her hand, to remind himself that she was really here. Truly here.

"I can`t say too much. But I was destroying liches with light and they couldn't stop me." Ezabar began to unlock the door of the cage and as Bracken stepped out of it, a million questions ran through his mind, but one stumbled out.

"What`s in the bag?"

Suddenly, new footsteps joined theirs, and a hauntingly familiar voice spoke. "None of your business." Ronodin. Kendra stepped in front of Bracken, like she was physically shielding him from the dark unicorn.

"We got these from the Underking. We have his permission to leave." She didn't sound afraid, just angry, and determined. Bracken wondered what must have happened to her to force her to be so brave.

"Maybe, but you don't have mine." Ronodin sneered. "I wish I could say I like your little hat, Kendra, but it brings back unfortunate memories." Bracken could feel his outrage, his confusion.

"The Underking told his subjects to stand down and let us go." Kendra glanced over at Ezabar, but the lich made no move to intervene. She knew as well as anyone that they wouldn't lift a finger to either help or hurt her.

"Fortunately, I am not his subject. Those horns belong to me." _Horns?_ Bracken thought. Could they be his?

Kendra ignored those words, talking over Ronodin. "Where is Seth?"

Ronodin smiled. "Fulfilling his most treacherous mission thus far. I confess I left him behind when I got word the Under Realm had been invaded." Those words were meant to scare Kendra, he was sure, but she instead stepped forward, her shine increasing.

"Where?" True fury filled her tone and Bracken almost felt bad for his cousin. Kendra wasn't someone to mess with.

"Don't shine at me." His cousin sounded disgusted. "I may not like the light, but I also have no fear of it." Bracken knew that it was lie, so he stepped in, hoping to break up the fight and get a chance to escape.

"I know what`s in the bag. And I know what you meant to do." He wanted to corrupt him. Ronodin wanted to break him.

"I had your mature horns. I only lacked the first. Now they`re all here." Ronodin was doing a good job of pretending that this was all a part of his plan.

"You should run away." He reached for the bag which Kendra gave him, and he felt for his horns. He was looking for his third, the one he hadn't had in such a long time. He pulled it out, and it helped to ground him.

The man in front of him smiled. "I came prepared." He pulled a black horn out of the dark and Bracken felt his heart drop. Kendra seemed to understand that this was bad, her light dimming just the tiniest bit.

"What? Your horns were lost!" Bracken blurted out.

"I discarded them after they were corrupted. I wanted nothing to do with my heritage. It was my biggest mistake. Others used them as power sources. It was messy work getting them back." He seemed to revel in Bracken`s confusion, his panic.

"All of them?"

"All three." Ronodin grinned, a nasty, self-righteous grin. "The Underking helped with two, and Celebrant assisted with the third. I have already paid in full."

"What was the payment?" Kendra asked, her tone guarded.

"You have no right to know. A smart girl would guess." Ronodin chided.

"The Sunset Pearl?" Kendra guessed. _The Sunset Pearl?_ What does that have to do with anything?

"That one was payment for the Underking." Ronodin corrected. "All right, I`m bored. The other was releasing the undead from the Blackwell. Your brother preformed perfectly. And the payment for Celebrant was the information about the Wizenstone." _Why was he telling them this?_ Bracken wondered. _Is he really so arrogant?_

Kendra stepped forward a bit, unwavering. "What about causing the fall of Blackwell Keep?"

"He still owes me for that. It dovetailed so nicely with releasing the denizens of the Blackwell, I wanted to make sure I got credit for the consequences." He seemed to enjoy the horror that masked Kendra`s eyes. Bracken wanted to step forward and deflect, but he knew that Kendra would never forgive him if he did.

"You`re a monster." Kendra deadpanned, her eyes glinting intensely in the darkness.

"I`m much more than that." Bracken decided he couldn't take much more of his gloating, interjecting himself into the conversation.

"You don't want to fight me." He warned.

"I really do." Ronodin rose to the challenge, gripping his horn tighter. "Desperately. A duel might surpass what I had planned." It was then everything fell into place, his horns Bracken`s horns.

"He wanted to find out if he could taint me by corrupting my horns." Bracken guessed.

"Once I had all three of mine it might have worked, if I had all three of yours." Ronodin said. "But this is better. More manly."

"Another time, another place, name it." Bracken wanted to get out of here. He had spent so long in the darkness and he could tell, even by looking at Kendra that she was getting exhausted. Maintaining the power of the crown for so long was wearing her down.

"Here." Ronodin`s anger betrayed him as he shouted out the words. "Now. What`s the matter? Worried Kendra could get hurt?"

"I don't want to destroy you."

"Really? You could have fooled me." Now there was hurt mixed with his cousin`s tone. But he had been fooled by that before. Not now, not when there was so much at stake.

"I discovered you were working with the demons. But you committed the crimes." Bracken accused.

"You share the same narrow view as all our kind." Ronodin fired back.

"Because of you, my father fell prey to the demons. He was trapped in Zzyxx for an unthinkable amount of time. Even after all that, unlike you, he never went dark."

"If he had, maybe he wouldn't have stayed chained up for so long." Ronodin raised his horn. "En garde, Bracken." A swirling cloud of darkness covered him and he transformed into his true form, a unicorn, dark gray with fiery orange tail, mane and horn. Beside him, Kendra gasped. The unicorn began to charge.

"He has learned to take his old shape!"

Feeling an innate urge begin to take over, he jumped in front of Kendra, raising his horn as well, a burst of light later and he was matching his cousin, as a pure white unicorn.

It had been so long since Bracken had taken this form, but it was still so familiar. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it, but now there were other matters to attend. Ronodin was strong, knocking him into a cage, but Bracken was no fool, throwing his cousin into a stone column, nearly losing his balance. They slashed and parried, and despite not having fought like this in centuries, Bracken felt, for the first time in such a long time that was right. Undeniably right.

But he felt a cut open on his shoulder, as Ronodin`s horn swiped him. Soon Ronodin also had one on his neck, spilling red-gold blood, a sign of his corruption. He could sense Kendra hovering behind them, seeming sense that this was not a fight she could get too involved in without getting trampled.

 _Yield! This is my day!_ He sounded like a petulant child, Bracken reflected.

 _You`re flagging. Not accustomed to this form, are you?_ Bracken prodded, as Ronodin wheeled back, narrowly avoiding another cut to the neck.

 _You haven't taken this shape in ages!_

 _You tarnished yourself._ Bracken lunged forward, slashing at him. _Your horns are an abomination._

 _Yours are for show. There are ornaments of mindless conformity._ Their horns crossed, locking in a deadly stalemate.

 _You`re weak._ Ronodin sounded winded and strained, which he was. They both were. It was difficult, because if even for a moment, Bracken lost concentration, Ronodin would snap his horn off.

 _Your coloring is absurd. Gray and orange?_ It wasn't the strongest insult and in fact, reminded him a little of Seth. Maybe he spent too much time around the boy.

 _Not as original as pearly white?_

 _You look like the logo for a band._ Bracken winced internally. That one was definitely Seth-inspired.

 _I could do this all day._ Ronodin taunted.

 _How about you push me over?_ Bracken dared, pushing in a little closer. But he knew, even as he did, that he wouldn't be able to push it much longer. His muscles ached, his horn taking on too much pressure. And then, he saw Ronodin`s eyes widen, in fear? A hand landed on his side and he had barely a second to register that it was Kendra before a huge wave of energy reinvigorated him, his horn and her crown glaring a blinding white and Ronodin`s horn snapped.

Ronodin stumbled back, his unicorn form disappearing, crashing to the floor. Staying near Kendra, he lowered his horn to the black and broken one and with a single touch, was purified.

Ronodin coughed weakly, pulling a vial from his shirt pocket and with a final dark look at the two of them, muttering something Bracken couldn't hear, upended the potion into his mouth. Bracken bounded toward his cousin, and as Kendra`s hand left his side, the aches returned. But it was too late, he was already transformed, into a raven and flapped out of sight. All he could do was watch him go.

Figuring the fight was over, Bracken lowered his head and became human once more. Kendra hurried over to him, touching the cut on his shoulder that stained his shirt silver. Bracken turned to look at Kendra, worry in her eyes. "You`re hurt." He felt himself soften and tried to reassure her.

"It's nothing. I heal fast and nothing gets infected. If I`m alive, I`m fine." She didn't look any less worried, but her gaze lowered to the horn that lay on the floor near them.

"What happened with his horn?" Bracken put his arm around her, not missing how she relaxed into his arms.

"You happened. The boost of energy you provided let me rip it from him. The horn really was flawed. Once it was severed from him, I was able to purify it.

She focused on the horn. "His third horn is healed."

"As if it was never corrupted." Bracken replied as she knelt, picking it up, turning it over in her hands.

"Could that influence Ronodin?" The hope in her voice made him wince. He knew she was thinking about Seth, and if he could be free of Ronodin.

"He won`t be able to transform into his unicorn shape anymore. The horns are connected to our identity, but they do not define who we are. I don't think I could heal him by purifying his horns any more than he could darken me by corrupting mine." He said, just a little bit bitterly.

"His plan wouldn't have worked?" She sounded relieved and he squeezed her shoulders.

"It would have weakened me. Made me less powerful." He clarified. "But my identity belong to me. Only I can surrender that."

Kendra glanced up at him. "Do you think Ronodin will go to Seth?"

"Maybe." He didn't want to lie to Kendra, she needed to be aware of that possibility. "If Seth can be of use to him."

She nodded, looking up where Ronodin had flown off. "The potion transformed him into a bird?"

"The magic was unfamiliar to me. But Ronodin deals with many whose company I find distasteful." Kendra nodded again, a little crestfallen. He shared her feelings. They had been so close to defeating Ronodin, only for him to fly away.

From the darkness, Ezabar approached. Bracken had almost forgotten that he was still there. "It appears you altercation with Ronodin has ended."

"Yes." Bracken said. "I`m tired of marinating in the darkness. No matter your strength, it becomes exhausting." He looked at the crown on Kendra`s head, the only thing lighting up the darkness.

Kendra smiled a little, and it was wonderful. To finally see her smile.

And then, her back straightened and her authority resumed, to match the crown she wore on her head, like _she_ was a queen herself. "It`s draining." She agreed. "Ezabar, get us out of here."

As the lich set off across the floor and they followed, Bracken caught Kendra`s hand and they walked together out of the prison of the Underking. But just as they rounded the boulder, something in Bracken made him want to glance back. When he did, he saw a young girl, almost ethereal waving at him, from between the bars of the cage. It was his hallucination, the thing that kept him alive and sane. But now, he didn't need her anymore. He could leave her behind, in this darkness. But he knew, if he should need her again, she`d be there.

He smiled and turned back to follow Kendra, squeezing her hand just a little tighter, focusing on her light, the light that had saved him yet again, the light that led him out of the darkness.

* * *

 **Thank you to Wolf Lover 27 and FairyGirl22 for your continued support. You guys are so amazing, and I love seeing your reviews!**

 **If you have any kind of ideas for this story, I`d love to hear them and possibly write something for them! Please review, favorite/ follow, it does mean so much.**

 **ALSO! Beginning in December, I am going to start posting a brand new story that I`ve teased in the past! I really hope you guys go to check it out!**

 **Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I`m so thankful for you guys! :)**


	19. A Christmas Ball

**Wow, Christmas is on two days. Woah.**

 **Anyway, this is my annual Christmas themed chapter, and I`m sure it will warm all Brackendra shippers hearts.**

 **I have a SUPER EXCITING ANNOUNCMENT and that is that the story I have been teasing for a few months now is finally up! It is called** _ **Fablehaven; Return of the Darkness**_ **and is posted on my profile right now, please, please, please go and check it out! It is my own take on the events that took place after the original Fablehaven series (non-compliant with Dragonwatch) and I am so excited for it! (You might even see some of the characters that have shown up in these one-shots making an appearance.) I have great plans and I can`t wait for you to see it!**

 **I`ll stop rambling now, enjoy the chapter!**

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"Kendra?" Bracken`s musical voice spoke up from beside her. She glanced over at him briefly before focusing back on the road in front of her. They had just spent the day at the mall doing doing all their Christmas shopping and after 5 hours of retail therapy, they were both exhausted. The drive home had been quiet so far, but comfortable, like it always was with Bracken.

"Yeah?" She responded, putting on her turn signal, and checking over shoulder, changing lanes quickly.

"Thank you for doing this with me. I had a lot of fun today." Bracken`s voice was sincere, as always and just the littlest bit shy. Kendra smiled, remembering how nervous Bracken had been to ask her go with him to the mall, they had been planning to anyway, as Bracken still needed help in understanding modern Christmas traditions, and also couldn't drive, but he had been clear, he wanted to go on a date.

A date. Kendra`s first date. "Of course, thank you for making it an amazing day." She risked another glance at Bracken, whose cheeks were dusted with pink, his eyes glowing. She had thought that was end of that, but Bracken spoke up again.

"I was wondering if we could do this again sometime." Kendra felt her cheeks blush, refusing to look at him, keeping her eyes determinedly on the road.

"I`d like that." Kendra admitted softly.

"What about next weekend?" Bracken shifted, turning down the Christmas music that played on the radio. "There`s a ball for our winter festival, in the fairy realm. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me?"

Kendra grinned at his princely formality. "A ball… a truly royal activity, isn't it?"

Bracken laughed. "You`d better believe it, gowns and dancing, all the works. So, what do you say?"

Even though Kendra had already decided she wanted to go, something occurred to her. "I don't have a dress that exactly would be appropriate at a ball."

"Ophelia already offered to take care of that." Of course. Bracken`s youngest sister, Ophelia was one of the most fashionable people that Kendra knew, and absolutely loved anything and everything fancy and thrived in large crowds.

"In that case, sure." Kendra tried to keep her voice even and not show how both excited and nervous she was for the ball.

"Wonderful."

Later that day, after Bracken had said his goodbyes and Kendra had hid her gifts away from Seth`s curious eyes, Kendra made her way down to her grandfather`s study. Knocking on the door, she slipped the door open, going inside. Grandpa, who sat as his desk, glasses balanced on his nose was frowning in concentration at a bunch of papers on his desk. As captain of the Knights of the Dawn, there was always something for him to sign or approve.

Looking up, Grandpa`s eyes softened, as he gestured for her to come closer. "Kendra, what can I do for you?" Sitting down in the big armchair across from his desk, she tried to collect her thoughts not sure how to ask him.

"Next weekend… well, Bracken said, he-"Kendra cut herself off, taking a deep breath.

"There`s this… well I guess it's a ball but" Grandpa held up a hand, and Kendra stopped.

"Yes you can go." He sounded amused, and she looked up at him, shocked.

"Bracken came by before the two of you left today and told me and your grandmother about it. Wanted to make sure it was okay with your guardians before he asked you." Sitting back, Kendra nodded. He really did think of everything, Bracken did. And since her parents were on yet another trip, and her other set of grandparents, were on a mission in New Zealand, Grandma and Grandpa were it.

"Thanks Grandpa. Really." Grandpa smiled.

"Go and have fun, Kendra. Have a fun Christmas."

With her grandfather`s blessing in mind, Kendra desperately tried to keep her mind off her mounting nerves as the week went on. Bracken assured her, again that Ophelia had everything taken care of, and Kendra only really needed to show up. It wasn't that she was particularly nervous to visit the fairy realm, Kendra had been there enough that she felt comfortable enough, but it was more that Bracken had informed her that this ball was one the fairies hosted for countless other allies of the Queen and Fairydom. And the fact that Kendra had little to no idea how to negotiate such a fancy ball. Kendra`s determination to fend off her nerves lasted just up until the afternoon before the ball as she sat with Rayne and Brea, Bracken`s other sisters, eating lunch. Bracken had walked her from where she landed in the lavender field that connected to Fablehaven before rushing off to help with final preparations for the ball that night.

Since she had arrived in the morning it seemed as though the entire city was bustling with activity in preparation for the ball. While the fairies didn't celebrate Christmas, they did celebrate the changing of the seasons, especially the winter solstice. So Kendra watched the snow fall outside as they ate, watching the picturesque city surrounding the castle turn into a winter wonderland.

"Kendra. Kendra!" Jerking back to attention, she realized that Rayne was talking to her. Straightening up, Kendra tried to smile, pretending that she was fine.

"Yeah, sorry."

"So you do think that my dress is ugly?" Brea raised a perfectly manicured eye brow, considering her critically.

Kendra groaned internally at her own ignorance. "No, no of course not, I just, was thinking about something else."

"Our brother?" Rayne asked innocently, taking a sip of her tea. Kendra rolled her eyes, shaking her head, returning to her own lunch. Despite an initially frosty reception from virtually all of the fairy realm, they had all eventually warmed to her. Bracken`s sisters becoming close friends and confidantes. And they teased her and Bracken to no end about their relationship.

"Actually, I was thinking about the ball."

Setting her fork down, Rayne sat back in her chair, crossing her legs. "You mean the nice little play we put on for our allies every year."

"A play?" Kendra asked.

"Imagine a ball in a fairy tale, and you`ll understand what the general feel of it is." Brea informed.

Kendra frowned. "But that sounds fun."

"Oh it is, except the years where the Elves decide to graceus with their presence." Rayne`s voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I take it that you all don't like the elves?"

"You fairies are shallow? Self-important? Arrogant? We are _nothing_ compared to them." Brea confirmed, a tinge of exasperation entering her tone.

"That sounds… fun." Kendra tried to keep her voice steady and pushed the nerves away.

Rayne and Brea surveyed her, sympathy in their gaze. "Kendra, don't let us ruin this. We`re old and bitter. It will be fun, it always is, the elves are just irritating." Brea assured her, smiling at her.

"But then again, you will have to deal with the absolute insanity that is our sister during ball preparation." Rayne leaned back her smile taking on a smug expression.

"Kendra!" From behind her, Ophelia called out, her voice loud and excited. Kendra must have let her own exasperation show because Rayne and Brea began to laugh. Kendra felt her own spirits rise as she laughed with the girls that had become like sisters of her own. It was going to be fun, or at least, it would be a good story to tell.

"Just a little longer Kendra, don't worry!" Ophelia insisted, tugging a brush through Kendra`s hair, Kendra sighed, fidgeting a little. She had been sitting in the chair for about an hour, as Ophelia did her makeup, darkening her eyes and reddening her lips, and then curling her hair. Ophelia, as always was already made up completely, a robe wrapped around her, covering the beautiful black and white dress that she wore. Kendra however, was not dressed yet, as the dress she had still yet to see hung in her closet.

"What time is it?" Kendra wondered as her hair was pulled back and pinned in place.

"We have plenty of time, don't worry! The ball doesn't start without us!" Those words made Kendra think that it was later than Ophelia wanted to admit, but she supposed she was right. A ball really did not start without all of the princesses of the realm ready.

But luckily, it was only a few minutes later when Ophelia finally pronounced her hair to be done. Kendra looked in the mirror, admiring her hair. It had been curled and twisted up into an elegant, yet simple twist, most of it still hanging down her back. She looked pretty, Kendra had to admit, beautiful even.

"Ophelia, this is… amazing." She looked at the girl who smiled at her. "Thank you."

Ophelia grinned, her eyes twinkling. "Don't thank me until you've seen the dress! Let`s put it on!"

Standing up, Kendra closed her eyes at Ophelia`s request and put her arms up as a mass of fabric settled on her body. It was a large dress, she was certain, with a full skirt that reached all the way to the floor. Ophelia buttoned up the back of the dress, fluffing it a little.

"Alright, open your eyes!" Kendra`s eyes opened and her breath was taken away. The dress was exquisite, absolutely beautiful, and everything Kendra had hoped it was. The dress was dark red, like the color of red wine and the over skirt was detailed, intricate lace work. The skirt was puffed out with the huge amount of tulle sewn into the underskirt, all coming together at her waist, lace flowers and mesh forming the top of the dress. It was strapless, cutting off below her collarbones with a sweetheart neckline that was moderate enough, but as she turned, she glimpsed the back of her dress in the mirror. Her back was mostly bare, the back of the dress plunging low. It was daring, yet classic and elegant. Kendra felt like a princess in this dress.

"Ophelia…" Kendra was absolutely speechless and Ophelia squeezed her shoulders, beaming.

"Don't say _anything_! That reaction said everything. Now," Ophelia untied her own robe, uncovering her dress and handed Kendra a pair of matching, sparkly heels, and Kendra was suddenly grateful for the etiquette training the Queen insisted on, that taught her how to walk in heels. "Let us go grace the others with our presence." Kendra grinned, slipping into her shoes and taking Ophelia`s proffered arm.

They walked together out of the room, down the hall and to the top of the staircase that led into the main ballroom, to where the others were. Kendra spotted Mizelle, Bracken`s eldest sister and her husband Peck, talking with Bracken, backs to them. Ophelia called out to them, and they turned. Kendra felt a blush rise to her cheeks as Bracken took in her appearance, his eyes coming to rest on her face, smiling so wide, Kendra`s cheeks hurt. Bracken walked towards her and Ophelia let her go, and Bracken took her hands, squeezing them tightly.

"You look _beautiful._ " Bracken spoke quietly, but the intensity in her tone made her blush deepen. It was then when she noticed what he was wearing. He wore shiny black silk pants and boots, and a dark red undershirt that exactly matched Kendra`s dress, with a black vest accented in gold and silver.

Kendra smiled. "Thank you, and _you_ match _me._ "

Bracken grinned. "It`s my honor and I have something for you." He pulled something from a pocket, and showed it to her. It was a silver necklace and hanging from the chain looking like a raindrop.

"Bracken… this is..." Again, not for the first time that day, Kendra was speechless.

"It`s a dew drop, frozen with magic. And if you would, I`d like you wear it tonight." Bracken reached for her and she let him pull her in closer, turning around as he fastened the chain around her neck. His hands lingered on her shoulders for a moment before a shrill voice cut through the air.

Moment officially ruined.

At the other end of the hall, a young woman strode towards them. Her hair, dark and shiny was drawn up and away from her face, showing off her pointed ears. One of the elves. Her skin, a warm brown, glistened in the twinkling lights of the hall. Her dress, a vibrant orange, showed off her toned body and she looked truly stunning. However, what was _not_ stunning about her was the expression on her face, a smug, arrogant look. Though Bracken drew away from Kendra, he still kept a hold of her hand as greeted the woman, obviously recognizing her.

"Bracken, have you been hiding? I haven't seen you in the ballroom!" The woman`s accent was pronounced and her voice was sultry and flirtatious.

"Yelena, it is good to see you!" Bracken took her hand, raising it to her lips and kissing it lightly. Even though Kendra knew it was, at least for royalty was a pretty traditional greeting, Kendra felt her stomach shrink a little, but she tried to keep her expression from showing her displeasure. Of course Bracken would have some beautiful elf after him.

The elf, Yelena then turned toward Kendra and something akin to anger flashed into her expression before disappearing in favor of that same smugness. "And this is?"

Kendra gave a tight, close lipped smile and bowed her head. "Kendra, handmaiden to the Queen."

"Of course, the human." The way she said those words told Kendra all she needed to know about what Yelena thought about humans.

"We should get going to the ball." Mizelle stepped into the conversation and before Kendra could blink Yelena had swooped in, tearing Bracken from her and pulling him off to the staircase leading down to the ballroom. Bracken turned, making a face and mouthing _I`m sorry_ to her. Kendra felt her heart drop and her disappointment must have shown on her face, because Peck, ever the gentlemen stepped in, offering his arm to her.

"Don't let her ruin this night Kendra." Peck`s voice, smooth and deep did little to reassure her, but she tried to smile. She knew that Bracken had certain obligations and so did she. It would be fine. Mizelle smiled, kissing her cheek and squeezing her shoulder in comfort before taking Peck`s other arm. Together, the three of them followed Ophelia and the captain of the Astrids, Gilgarol who was escorting her to the ballroom, arriving at the top of staircase.

The ballroom itself was decorated magnificently, tinsel, garland, lights, all works hanging from the banisters. A large dancefloor was set off to the side while a set of thrones were set on a terrace inside the ballroom. Table flooded the sides of the room and she noticed several Astrids standing guard along the walls. Kendra was able to spot Bracken and Yelena in the middle of a large group of elves, Rayne and Brea standing near their mother and father, who sat in the glimmering thrones. The Queen and King smiled at them and a voice boomed out.

"Introducing Princess Ophelia and Captain of the Astrids, Gilgarol." Ophelia, smiling and beautiful seemed to float her way down the stairs beside Gilgarol, proud and stern. They began to make their way to the Queen to greet them. Bracken had told Kendra that the beginning of the ball, and announcing each attendant was very ceremonially important.

Then it was their turn, and Kendra did her best to smile. She was wearing a beautiful dress and was going to her first ball! "Introducing Princess Mizelle, Prince Peck and Lady Kendra, handmaiden to the Queen!" As they walked down the stairs, she caught several astonished glances come their way and she blushed a little. It was a lot, having this many people staring at her.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Kendra suddenly felt someone else take her arm, and she turned to see Bracken, smiling brilliantly. He led the way and Kendra felt instant relief at the sight of him. She held onto him tightly and by the time they reached the Queen, her heartbeat fluttered only slightly.

The Queen embraced Kendra and whispered, "You look beautiful." Kendra kissed the King`s cheek who stared absently at the crowd, but at least he was here.

As Bracken led her off into the crowd, Kendra found herself surrounded by crowds of people who talked fast and loud, and Kendra just nodded along gracefully, smiling the best she could.

The ball was wonderful, really, the dinner was delicious as always, and the music was lovely. Bracken tried to be by her side as much as possible, but as it became the time for dancing, Kendra found herself sitting at a table with Rayne and Brea, who had no interest in dancing at all. Kendra watched grumpily as Yelena laughed with Bracken and the other elves who surrounded them. Kendra knew him well enough that he looked the slightest bit uncomfortable.

"How goes your first ball Kendra?" Mizelle and Peck peeled off from the crowd, taking a seat at their table, Mizelle sighing in relief as she got off her feet.

"She`s spent nearly half of it brooding after Bracken." Brea replied. Kendra glared at her, but she didn't correct her. She was brooding.

As the others tried and failed to hide their smiles, Peck stood up and offered his hand to Kendra. "Will you dance with me Kendra?" As Peck led her onto the dance floor, Kendra felt her irritation settle a little, now that she was busy and could no longer see Bracken and Yelena.

"You know Kendra, I do understand how you feel." Peck spoke quietly, his dark, serious eyes meeting hers.

"You do?" Kendra asked, surprised.

Peck grinned. "Of course. I was once only a single person in the crowd that pined after Mizelle." Kendra considered his words carefully. Though Peck and Mizelle had been together for a long time, there must have been a ball like this for him, where he watched so many others occupy Mizelle`s time and attention.

Kendra nodded carefully. "And what did you do about it?"

"Nothing." Kendra snorted. Peck amended his statement. "I sulked for almost the entirety of the ball until Mizelle finally asked me to dance."

"Sounds like what I`m doing."

"Which is exactly why I`m telling you this." Peck corrected gently. "Bracken told me that this was your second date, and I can`t even tell you how excited he`s been for the past week about going with you. Now, you know Bracken, and you know how seriously he takes his princely duties. He can`t simply leave Yelena, because that would reflect badly on all of us." Kendra knew he was right. And she understood, she knew the intense pressure he felt to uphold his responsibilities, especially after he had been gone for so long.

"So what should I do?" Kendra questioned.

Peck smiled at her, as the song ended and began to lead her off the dance floor, back to their table. "Well, the way I see it, you can either sulk like I did, or you can choose to not let Yelena ruin this for you." Kendra sat down in her chair, thinking hard about that Peck had said, the table was now empty except for her and Peck.

As the music changed again, it was a song the recognized, some slowed down version of a human Christmas song. Kendra couldn't help but smile. The song reminded of that ride home with Bracken after the mall. After their first date. And Peck was right, this was supposed to be their second date. And they were spending it apart.

Maybe that's what made her stand up, or the way that Yelena put her hands on Bracken`s arm, just at that moment.

"What are you doing?" Peck asked, sounding amused. Kendra glanced at him, now grinning. He grinned back, gesturing for her to go on.

"I`m going to dance." She set off across the floor of the ballroom catching a distant Ophelia`s glance who smiled at her. It only served to spur her on. She arrived at the table Bracken and Yelena sat at. She didn't know the other elves, but it didn't matter. She wasn't here for them. Bracken saw her, his expression brightening and Kendra smiled at him.

"Kendra." Yelena didn't sound happy. Kendra ignored her.

"I was wondering if you wanted to dance Bracken." Kendra caught Yelena`s eye and continued. "With me." She shifted her gaze back to Bracken. The moment felt just as intimate as the one when he had given her the necklace she wore proudly around her neck, or in the car.

"Actually Bracken-"Yelena was cut off by Bracken ripping his arm out of her grasp and standing.

"I would love nothing more." He replied firmly, and it felt like there was no one else in the world besides the two of them, and all was right. She reached forward and took his hand, tugging him over to the dance floor. Once there, he placed his hand on her waist and she put hers on his shoulder, as their other hands intertwined. They began to sway back and forth.

"That was smooth." Bracken complimented. Kendra smirked.

"I have no idea what you`re talking about." But as they turned slowly she saw Yelena looking at them, outrage painted all over her face as the other elves laughed, either at them or her, Kendra wasn't sure.

"I`m sorry." Kendra met Bracken`s eyes, who looked despondent. "This was supposed to be about us, and I… well, I screwed up. And I`m sorry. It`s just… sometimes I feel like I have to do all of these things and I lose sight of what important."

Kendra nodded. "I know. And it's okay. Believe it or not I understand having impossible obligations. What`s important is that we`re both here now." Bracken`s eyes shone and Kendra couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks. That look on his face, of pure joy always made her blush, just knowing that she was the cause of it. They continued to dance, the song slow and beautiful.

"I love you Kendra." Bracken whispered softly into her ear and her eyes met his. That was the first time he had ever said that to her. She wanted to be shocked, but she wasn't, not really. She knew he loved her, she knew in the way that he looked at her, like she was the only thing in the world, and how he laughed at her stupid jokes and watched all the Christmas movies she liked, she knew because she felt the same way about him.

"I love you too." Bracken smiled before his gaze left hers, looking up. Somehow, they were now under a hanging plant, slowly revolving, that she recognized as mistletoe. Casting her eyes around the room she spotted Ophelia, Rayne and Brea on the terrace, standing next to the thrones that the Queen and King occupied and Ophelia`s hand was glowing. They looked like they were laughing.

Kendra smiled as she looked back at Bracken. "Well?"

Bracken leaned down, catching on. "Who are we to ignore a time honored tradition?" When he kissed her, it was sweet and warm, reminding her of all the good things in the world and all of the doubts, jealousy and fear was wiped from her mind.

She pulled back, leaning her forehead against Bracken`s. "Merry Christmas Bracken." She whispered.

He smiled, this boy who she had come to love, who she had come to cherish and always would.

"Merry Christmas my love."

* * *

 **Thank you to WolfLover27, FairyGirl22, JesusSavedEvenMe, celesstialdreams and Yakall for the support! It makes me so happy to read your feedback!**

 **Merry Christmas guys, and don't forget to check out my new story,** _ **Fablehaven; Return of the Darkness.**_

 **Bye bye my loves!**


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